Gov Obaseki launches sex offenders
Gov Obaseki launches sex offenders’ register, urges prosecutors to prioritize sexual cases
Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, on Wednesday, launched the state’s Sex offenders’ Register, with a charge to prosecutors to prioritize 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, Gov 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, “except you have punishments for crimes you cannot reduce certain crimes in our society.”
He noted that 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.
He appealed to our prosecutors and judges to prioritize cases that relate to sexual offences, adding that an analysis of the cases we have, shows that 70 per cent are under investigation.
He emphasized that more convictions of offenders will send a very strong message and signal that sexual offences, particularly rape, will not be tolerated in Edo state.
Also speaking, 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 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”
She further explained that 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, as well as the screening for drugs where the use of stupefying substances is suspected.
She also revealed that 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,and it will also contain information about organizations and persons that provide assistance to victims as defined by the Edo Violence Against Person’s Prohibition (VAPP) Law 2018.
Dan Ejodamen
F.I.C. Benin
