Ministry of Social Development & Gender Issues, Edo State, Thursday, June 11, recommended incarceration and hanging for anyone who indulges in rape.
The Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. (Mrs) Ehimwenma Ebhodaghe, made this recommendation while leading other staff members of the Ministry and other NGOs members in a peaceful rally against rape in the country and the world at large.
The peaceful rally which saw them through major streets in Benin was in collaboration with Global Women For Quality and Sustainable Development; Women International League for Peace and Freedom, Nigeria, among others.
The members who carried placards with inscriptions such as ‘Say no to gender-based violence’; ‘stop rape and defilement’ ; ‘give us pen not pennis’ ; ‘Casson is against rape; walked through major streets and up to the NUJ Press Centre.
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Speaking further, the Permanent Secretary said the rising rate of rape and gender-based violence prompted the rally, as she said government can no longer tolerate such.
“We come to let everyone know that we cannot tolerate rape any longer; we say no to gender-based violence; defilement, violence against children and women. Enough is enough! Government can no longer tolerate it anymore”, she added.
While recommending further that perpetrators should be brought to book and face justice, Ebhodaghe said if possible they should be sentenced to dead.
She said, “Perpetrators should be brought to book and justice. We recommend death sentence for rapests; incarceration for rapists. We say no to rape. Rape must stop! Gender-based violence must stop! Defilement must stop! Child abuse must stop! Child abuse must stop!”
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In her reaction, representative of Global Women For Quality and Sustainable Development, Mrs. Mariam Kadiri, said they were in the street to solicit for support and justice for late Uwa and others who were raped and brutalized by some evil persons.
She lamented that many women are facing what Uwa faced but are silence because of the fear of the unknown, adding that if Uwa had not died probably nobody would have heard about it.
“We are asking for justice for her and all other children that are facing defilement; that are facing rape because we have much happening but because of silence nobody knows. If Uwa had not passed on, probably we would have silence about it. so, we are demanding fo justice.
“We are saying no to gender-based violence; we are saying no to child abuse. We say no to violence against women and children; we are saying no to defilement. We don’t want lives of young girls be cut short”, she noted.
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Welcoming them to the NUJ premises, Chairman, NUJ, Edo State council, Roland Osakue, noted that members are constrainted and concerned about the alarming issue of rape in the state and the country at large.
Osakue, who described rapests as criminals, called for a legislation that will protect women and make rapists to face severe punishment.
He also called on parents to protect and monitor their girl child, adding that girl child and women in general are facing a lot of challenges.
“Penalty should be meted on rapists through a legislation. There must be serious legislation that recommend severe punishment for rapists.
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“Another is that the girl child must be protected. Parents should also monitor their girls child, because the girl child is facing a lot of challenges“, he said