A coalition group, “the civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All” (CSACEFA), Delta State Chapter, has raised concern over the alleged frequent rape and violence against Women/Girls across the state.
While alleging 261 rape/violence cases against women/girls in the past eight months, the group state secretary, Mrs. Augusta Keneboh however sought effective media collaboration and support in the hue and cry of violence and what she described as absurdity against women/girls hitherto.
Noting that the growing tread of kidnap and other forms of child abuses in the school and home fronts have culminated in the hampered access of women/girls to quality education and safety, Mrs. Augusta Keneboh told journalists yesterday in Asaba that the media should create space and time for wider stakeholders’ engagement on female gender rights by increasing information sharing and co-operation in areas of news coverage, relating to educational activities of the coalition, as well as the sharing of data base statistics of trailed, prosecuted cases of violence against women/girls, with details of compensation measured to the victims or survivors of such violence.
Her words: “We have recorded 261 cases of alleged rape, violence against women/girls in the past 8 months, and we want the media to collaborate with us on the threshold of kidnap against the absurdity, it is wrong to rape and violence against women”. Other practices such as female genital mutilation, sexual slavery, forced and early marriage, unjustified discrimination, death of female teachers and increasing incidences of violence and abuses by teachers including fellow school mates have also resulted in the liability of women/girls to stand for themselves and detect their rights when the need arises.
She explained that the consequences of the inadequacy against women/girls, are that the gender gap and inequality index in the society would be further widened and the chances of women/girls empowerment will be limited. She said: “It provides a rallying point for our coalition and other stakeholders’ supporters to mount pressures aimed at raising awareness on the negative impact of violence and abuses against women/girls influencing behavioral change on the harmful practices and securing high level political and legal commitment to end gender-based violence.
Investigation revealed that rape cases including violence on women have been on the increase of Kwale, Aboh, Agbor and some part of Asaba and its environs; a situation in most cases teenage girls between six and eight years have in the recent times been violated by rapists. Last Monday, the State Police Command paraded a 43-years old man (name withheld) who allegedly violated his six years old daughter on a Sunday morning. The State Police Commissioner, Mr. Zanna Ibrahim who confirmed the arrest of the suspect in Ibusa, said the suspect upon interrogation confessed to the crime, adding that investigation was on going while the suspect detained.