Aderayo Daramola
Sola*, a 23year-old girl in her brittle voice told this reporter in an interview about her ugly experience as a victim of sexual abuse at the age of five by a neighbor who lives in the same compound with her family.
She recounted how the neighbor perpetrated the act and threatened to harm her if she revealed it to anyone. Due to the threat, the poor young lady was subjected to her apprehension and she remained silent for years. The consequence of this on her is that she has lived with resentment all through these years and is filled with rage to have experienced such abuse at a very tender age.
“As a child, I had a very great childhood experience until something happened that changed my life entirely. I was five then, My Dad was sick so my mum had to go be with him to take care of him in the hospital. My dad spent close to three months in the hospital. Within that period drastic things happened.
“A neighbor of mine who was much older than I am. I think he should be around 18 or above. He invited me to his house because he wanted to send me on an errand so I did not know his intention for me. Instead of being sent on an errand, I was made to do something terrible as a child.
“He forced me to give him a blow job (oral sex). I was introduced to oral sex at a very tender age. After he made me do what he wanted me to do, he threatened me not to tell anyone otherwise he would do something drastic to me. So, I lived with that fear and Intimidation for years and I couldn’t speak up”.
Years later, Sola eventually spilled the beans to her mum and got help. Luckily, she was able to find her lost peace but the scar according to her can never be cleared in memories.
“It was not until I was 9 that was four years later that I dared to speak up. I was able to confide in my mum and told her everything that transpired. She felt so bad, felt the pain I have been going through in those years. A lot was done to make me heal. She counseled me and I also met with counselors. That was how I was able to get through that moment” she added.
Child-Sexual Abuse In Nigeria
Child sexual abuse, also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. There are several aspects to this in which some include engaging in sexual activities with a child whether by asking or pressuring or by other means. Indecent exposure of the genitals, female nipples, child grooming, and child sexual exploitation, such as using a child to produce child pornography are also other terrible means of this nasty act.
Sola is just one out of the many victims of child sexual abuse in Nigeria. This barbaric offense has become a rising threat in society as many young girls/ladies have had this experience from their childhood, but the fear of family factors has subjected many of them to leave perpetrators with unserved justice.
Most victims of child sexual abuse undergo a long trauma and are walled in fear of threats from the perpetrators and they mostly go scot-free without punishment. While Sola’s parents tried their best to help her heal and wound and seal their lips up on the case, she said the act has aroused her consciousness to let anyone who encounters such voices out by unveiling the monsters in families.
“A lot of children and young ladies are also going through this and they never get the chance to tell anyone. My advice to anyone going through this is to learn to speak up no matter the threat that anybody has threatened you. Speak out!
“By not speaking out, you are making that monster who perpetrates those acts walk freely. Speak out so that you will be saved. A lot of people have died in silence” she added.
The Statistics
The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF reported that one in four girls have experienced sexual violence before the age of 18 in Nigeria.
Ranging from March and May in the year 2020, Nigeria reported a whooping number of 900 reported rape cases of which over 50% were against Children.
Statistics by the Lagos Ministry of Youth and Social Development reported that a large number of Lagos Children are defiled sexually and 1005 cases were reported in 2021. Despite the incessant increase of reported cases, there are still many more unreported cases than reported ones.
Experts Reactions
A Lagos-based child safety advocate, Nike Ajiboye, said child abuse has now reached an alarming level with close family members being the chief perpetrators of this evil act, she urged parents to take quick action before more children’s lives are damaged.
“Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) is a form of child abuse that involves sexual acts being performed on children by an older person or by groups of persons. Sexual acts are achieved through ‘contact’ and non-contact means.
“Sexual acts through ‘contact’ involve actual penetration (of the vagina or anus), fondling of genitalia, illicit touching, mouth-to-mouth kiss, and oral sex. The non-contact means entail exposure to obscene pictures or pornographic materials to meet the adult’s interest or sexual needs.
“The early visible stages often look innocent outwardly and go unchecked by the victim’s parents. I urged parents to listen to their children, encourage closeness, and not dismiss their talk as “lies or tall tales.” she added.
A lawyer and child rights advocate who is the founder of Protect the Child Foundation (PTCF), Elizabeth Achimugu identified family factors as what triggered the menace in Nigeria.
“I would not say cases of child sexual abuse is on the increase. Rather, I believe people are beginning to speak up more, unlike years back when many incidents occurred unreported. The recent increase in reported cases could be partly attributed to more enlightenment and advancement in technology, especially the social media revolution. This has made it look like child sexual abuse is on the increase.
“Age-appropriate sex education is often seen as a taboo or as family matters that ‘should not be talked about openly. Sadly, abusers and molesters take advantage of this to sexually abuse children” she added.
What Does The Law Say?
The Child Rights Act adopted by Nigeria in 2003 requires that the well-being of every child must be respected and considered paramount and provides that sex with a child is rape, and anyone who has sexual intercourse with a child is liable to imprisonment for life upon conviction.
Highlights of some of the provisions under the Child Rights Act are Section 31 – Unlawful sexual intercourse with a child, etc. (1) No person shall have sexual intercourse with a child. (2) A person who contravenes the provision of Subsection (1) of this section commits an offense of rape and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for life.
(3) Where a person is charged with an offense under this section, it is immaterial that‐ (a) the offender believed the person to be of or above the age of eighteen years, or (b) the sexual intercourse was with the consent of the child
Section 32 stipulates other forms of Sexual abuse and exploitation: (1) A person who sexually abuses or sexually exploits a child in any manner not already mentioned under this Part of this Act commits an offense. (2) A person who commits an offense under subsection (1) of this section is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of fourteen years.
Why Menace Persist Despite Existing Laws
A legal practitioner, Charles Ali, observed, that there are certain provisions in the laws that are both adequate and inadequate and that one of the limiting factors associated with the criminal and penal codes is that they cover rape in general and not defilement.
According to him, “The issue of limitation of time at bringing up criminal allegations and charges against suspected persons in the court, explaining that the criminal code makes provision for only two months as its limitation period.
“Before a complaint is made, an arrest is carried out; before an investigation is conducted, and a case filed in court, the two months must have elapsed. On the other hand, the Lagos State Criminal Law had singled out child defilement and goes further to make provisions to tackle the statute barred barrier.
“The Child’s Rights Act, 2003 makes provisions for the protection of a child when it comes to criminal sexual assault and defilement, but the law has not been domesticated by several states in Nigeria, although many stakeholders are still calling on other states to speedily follow suit and ensure its implementation” he added.
The Ruins of Victims
A lawyer Oluwadamilola Fatoye explained that any child that had been abused sexually, physically, or emotionally would always have negative reactions or counter-reactions in society.
Defilement is traumatic and often associated with psycho-social problems in children. Defiled children, more often than not, have negative outcomes in terms of poor academic performance, low self-esteem, depression, poor social relationships; they show cruelty to animals, have attention deficit, hyperactivity disorders, and teenage pregnancy, among others.
“You can imagine all of these things happening to a child. I am sending it directly to people that tend to defile a child. The thing is that you were once a child and if your life was destroyed the way you are destroying another person’s life, you will not be the kind of person or you will not have grown up to be the kind of person you are right now” Fatoye added.
The Way Forward
Director of Amnesty International Nigeria Osai Ojigho made a clarion call to relevant authorities in Nigeria to take the necessary steps needed.
“Nigerian authorities must act now to protect women and girls from rampant sexual violence. All reported cases of rape must be thoroughly, promptly, and impartially investigated and perpetrators must be prosecuted, and if convicted, sentenced with appropriate penalties. Existing discriminatory laws must be repealed and followed up with a concrete implementation and enforcement framework.
“Nigerian police must provide all necessary support to survivors and act in line with their code of conduct, by providing a safe process of seeking justice for survivors to report rape and other gender-based violence and get justice.
“Courts must ensure that cases of sexual violence are fairly and promptly prosecuted. Any backlog in rape cases that may create unacceptable barriers for rape survivors’ access to justice must be addressed.
Also a School administrator, Mrs. Funke Akintaro advises families to protect their children against abuse, being the first agent of socialization. The first thing a mother must do to prevent defilement is to make her child her friend.
“A mother must be her child’s confidant for the child must be confident enough to tell you anything and everything that he or she is passing through. If you make your child your friend, you will know everything about that child.
“A mother must have many tentacles to pick things to know whether her children are hiding things from her while exposure to pornographic content no matter how subtle they appear, should be prevented. This is in addition to watching things that can affect them psychologically through the censorship they watch on television and the internet,” she added
In her reaction, Elizabeth Achimugu said Parents/guardians and stakeholders need to encourage open communication with their children and wards.
“Parents need to devote more time and enjoy the company of their children because from small conversations they will be able to hear big things. Child sexual abuse should not be treated as a family affair. Let abusers be reported, punished, and publicly disgraced. This will serve as a deterrent to others” she added.
