Bauchi Sexual Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Case Management Committee has advocated for the creation of a database to register all offenders in the state.
Mr Kingsley Talking, Secretary of the committee, made the call at the committee’s monthly meeting in Bauchi on Sunday.
He said the database would help security agencies and the government in keeping records and identifying perpetrators of sexual abuse and domestic violence with ease.
“The creation of a sexual violence offenders’ register, which even though is commendable, is technically deficient without a database containing information of every citizen and a criminal record system.
“There are perceptions that rape cases have been under-reported, especially to the police.
“Perpetrators of this atrocious crime often don’t face the drum or the dictates of the law against the crime, even when reported to the police,” he said.
Yalling, therefore, said that the current campaigns against rape and other forms of sexual abuse in the state needed to rise to the occasion and deal with the criminal issues.
Also speaking, Mrs Comfort Attah, Executive Director, Attah Sisters Helping Hand Foundation, called for deliberate legislation to help curb the menace.
“There is a need for implementation of policy actions and legislation that will curb the menace of rape in the state and also ensure that victims get the justice they deserve,” she said.
Attah also encouraged the police to handle sexual violence cases reported to them professionally in order not to discourage victims of rape from coming forward.
“There is a need for such cases, if charged to court, to be given a quick hearing, thereby restoring confidence in the mind of victims.
“If rapists are caught, tried and jailed in time, it can serve as a form of deterrence to future offenders,” she said.
On her part, Mrs Bulak Afsa, the state Chairperson of the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), explained the importance of stakeholders’ collaboration with journalists on reporting SGBV cases in the state.
She enjoined journalists not to relent on effective awareness creation and reporting the menace of sexual violence in the state. (NAN)