Interrogating the Causes, Effects and Societal Responses to Rape and Child-Defilement in Nigeria
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Date
2021
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Publisher
Interdisciplinary Journal of Rural and Community Studies
Abstract
Nigeria’s social landscape has been inundated
by an alarming spate of rape and child defilement cases, so
much more that there is hardly a week without media reports
of rape in the country. Records released by the Nigeria Police
Force shows that a total of seven hundred and seventeen cases
of rape and child defilement were recorded in the first five
months of the year 2020. More alarming is the defilement of
minors and underage children by adults. The foregoing raises
concerns and the need to interrogate the causes of alarming
cases of rape and defilement of minors in Nigeria. The mixed
methods research approach was adopted to generate both
primary and secondary data. For the primary data, an online
questionnaire was designed and administered to a total of
two hundred and nine Nigerians across various sectors and
regions of the country. Besides, six (6) key informants, each
from the Ministry of Women, Legal Department, National
Human Rights Commission, NGO, religious leader and
media practitioners, were interviewed. On the other hand,
government reports, gazettes, journal and newspaper articles
were used to generate secondary data. Findings show that defilement of minors in Nigeria is perceived from a
socio-cultural perspective as an avenue for money rituals. Other causes include mental disorders of
perpetrators, alcoholism and substance abuse. Effects of such acts are physical and psychological.
Recommendations on ways of curbing the menace include life sentences, name shame of perpetrators, and
strict enforcement of existing laws prohibiting rape and defilement in the country
Description
Keywords
Rape, Child defilement, Societal responses