The House of Representatives has charged the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to “prosecute reported cases of child sexual molestation to serve as a deterrent to others.”
Also, the House mandated its Committee on Justice to ensure compliance with the resolution and report back within six weeks for further legislative action.
The House, at the plenary on Wednesday, unanimously adopted the motion moved by a member, Ganiyu Johnson, titled ‘Urgent Need to Address the Rising Spate of Sexual Molestation in Nigeria.’
Johnson noted that a United Nation Children’s Fund survey stated that one out of four girls and one out of 10 boys in Nigeria are victims of sexual molestation, while about one of 10 children will be sexually abused before attaining the age 18 years.
The lawmaker said, “The House is cognisant of the danger this ugly trend portends for the society and the future of Nigeria, considering that victims of sexual molestation often end up as dysfunctional individuals, thus the future of the country is endangered if such criminal acts against children are left unchecked.
“The House is worried that there has been an increase in reports of adults sexually abusing under-aged children, especially girls in Nigeria;
“The House is also worried that the lack of healthy and protective parenting predisposes children to become perpetrators of the same vices, either now or in the future.”
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