Amnesty International Faults Nigerian Government For Failing To Take Concrete Measures Against Rapists

Right group, Amnesty International has faulted the President Bola Tinubu led government for failing to bring justice to rape victims.

Faulting the government in a statement made available on its official website, the right group lamented that the despite declaring state of emergency on rape, the Nigerian government had failed to ensure that victims of rape get justice.

Naija News reports that the group lamented that a wanton of rape cases remain unreported as a result of corruption, stigma and victim blaming.

“Despite the Nigerian authorities’ declaration of a “state of emergency” on sexual and gender-based violence, rape persists at crisis levels with most survivors denied justice, rapists avoiding prosecution, and hundreds of cases of rape going unreported due to pervasive corruption, stigma and victim blaming,” Amnesty International said in a report published today.

Speaking on the development, Amnesty International country director for Nigeria, Osai Ojigho, said that concrete actions had not been taken to tackle the rape crisis in Nigeria.

He said, “Concrete actions have not been taken to tackle the rape crisis in Nigeria with the seriousness it deserves. Women and girls continue to be failed by a system that makes it increasingly difficult for survivors to get justice, while allowing perpetrators to get away with gross human rights violations.

“The fear of not being believed, or even being blamed for being raped, is creating a dangerous culture of silence that prevents survivors from seeking justice. It is unacceptable that survivors of rape and other forms of gender-based violence face such a torturous ordeal to get justice, which only adds to their pain. The ‘state of emergency’ has proven to be an empty declaration, which has so far done nothing to protect women and girls in Nigeria.”