Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, on Wednesday, launched the state’s Sex offenders’ Register, with a charge to prosecutors to prioritise all cases of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in the state.
The governor also inaugurated the state’s Sexual Assault Referral Center (SARC) in Benin City, named after Vivian Ogu, a 14-year-old girl who was killed by armed robbers because she resisted attempts by the robbers to rape her.
Speaking to journalists after signing the Edo Sexual Offenders’ Register, Obaseki said the register will address the incidence of sexual violence in the state by naming and shaming rapists and those who commit other forms of gender-based crimes.
According to him, “It is a privilege to formally sign the Sexual Offenders’ Register; for us as a government, we believe that except you have punishments for crimes you cannot reduce certain crimes in our society.
“With technology today, we should be able to undertake a lot of investigations and accelerate paths to investigations so that we can prosecute and get convictions for these offences.
“Unfortunately, it is humans that will still mar these technologies, but I just want to appeal to our prosecutors and judges to prioritise cases that relate to sexual offences.
“If you do an analysis of the cases we have, 70 per cent are under investigation. We will work towards having more convictions so that it will send a very strong message and signal that we will not tolerate sexual offences in Edo, particularly rape,” the governor said.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of the state, Prof. Yinka Omorogbe, noted that the issue of sexual and gender-based violence is a plague to Nigeria and the international community leading to trauma and deaths.
The SARC is a response to the fate suffered by Vivian Ogu, Uwaila Omozuwa and many other victims of sexual violence.
The commissioner said: “The Vivian Ogu Center is a one-stop free clinic for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence and is a safe environment where survivors are given all the required care and support, they need.
“The services rendered at the center include medical examination of survivors, screening and preventive treatment for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted infections, collection of forensic evidence, screening for drugs where the use of stupefying substances is suspected.
“The sex offenders’ register is a repository of offences containing names and information about all persons who have been convicted or charged with rape and other sexual offences.
“It will also contain information about organisations and persons that provide assistance to victims as defined by the Edo Violence Against Person’s Prohibition (VAPP) Law 2018.”
In a goodwill message on the occasion, the Chief Judge of the state, Hon. Justice Esther Edigin, said the establishment and launch of the Vivian Centre is timely especially with the rise in sexual and gender based violence in the state.
The Chief Judge stated that sexual assault “became exacerbated in Nigeria and in particular, Edo State with the lockdown due to the covid-19 pandemic which led to many deaths as a result of sexual assault.
“The establishment of the Sexual Assault Referral Centre(SARC) and Sexual Offender Database in Edo State is a welcome development that will help to provide specialist medical and forensic services to anyone who has been raped or sexually assaulted.
“Their services will be free of charge and provided to women, men, young persons and children, thereby making it easily accessible to all. The Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) will provide free medical counselling and support services to survivors of sexual violence.”
Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption(ROLAC) Programme in its goodwill message delivered by Edo State Programme Coordinator, Melissa Omene, said: “It is our hope that with this launch, there will be no hiding place in Edo State for sex offenders through the naming and shaming of perpetrators on the Sexual Offender Register.
“In some foreign jurisdictions, registered sex offenders are subject to additional restrictions in areas such as employment, housing, social media and more. While this is not currently the case in Nigeria, we hope that the registers will provide the general public with the necessary information to put in place their own protective measures; such as ensuring that anyone applying for work as a teacher or other position of power among vulnerable groups does not have a history of rape or sexual violence.
Going forward, ROLAC said: “The ROLAC Programme, which is funded by the European Union and implemented by the British Council, has helped state governments across Nigeria to establish or support 22 SARCs which have tended to the needs of 13,075 clients as at June 2020 and have resulted in increased convictions.
“We also supported the National Agency for the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons(NAPTIP) to establish the Sexual Offender and Service Provider Database which was launched earlier this year. We have seen the good that can be achieved in the fight for justice and security through these vital initiatives.”
