A House of Representatives member from Ekiti State, Hon. Wumi Ogunlola, has condemned in strong terms the rape menace currently ravaging the society while advocating life imprisonment for perpetrators.
Ogunlola, who represents Ekiti West Federal Constituency II, said sexual assault and other related offences have become rampant in the country, thereby encouraging vulnerability of the girl-child.
In a chat with newsmen in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday, the federal lawmaker noted that the upsurge of rape and assault needs proactive approach and stringent measures that would serve as deterrent to defaulters.
Ogunlola said, “It’s saddening that the menace of rape is fast gaining traction in a country where there is government. These are very ominous times for our young girls because they now live in trepidation over the fear of being raped.
“The scourge is traumatic and could cause physical, psychological and emotional effects on the victim. Even many at time, the people don’t recover from the effects.
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“I think it’s high time our government across levels stood up to rescue the girl-child from the hydra-headed menace of rape that has constituted itself a threat to humanity.
She cautioned against stigmatisation of victims, adding that the negative physical, psychological and emotional effects might have life-long impact on their self-esteem.
She noted that cases of sexual-related offences should be tackled with seriousness and high sense of commitment, adding that unless timely action is taken against the heinous act, rape cases will continue to soar.
While lamenting that in spite of the preponderance of existing laws prohibiting gender-based violence, the country continue to witness more cases of rape and defilement, Ogunlola advocated for life imprisonment for perpetrators of the heinous crime.
“The judicial system is so slow that they don’t really take action on rape issues. And the person would be there for longer year without any judgement, hence, posed a threat to the fight against rape and further encourage the menace,” she said.
Ogunlola therefore called on the Federal Government to overhaul the legal system and strengthen the existing criminal and penal codes in order to curb the spate of sexual-based violence.