The
Kaduna State Government has proposed life sentence for rapists in the
new Child Right Bill forwarded to the State House of Assembly for
passage into law.
Deputy Director, Civil Litigation in the
state’s Ministry for Justice, Mr Irimiya Samson, made this known in an
interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna.
Samson explained that the development
became necessary, following incessant cases of rape, particularly of
minors, being recorded daily in the state.
He noted that current penalty for rape
in the Penal Code was very light, as such it was important to make the
law more strict to curtail the ugly trend.
“The incidences of rape have become very
rampant in the state. It is particularly disturbing that the offenders
are mostly elderly men whose victims are toddlers, minors within the age
range of three to six.
“In curbing this abominable act, the
state government has decided to invoke a stiff punishment for offenders
in the child right law.
“As such, when the bill is passed, anyone caught would remain behind bars for life.”
He added that the law also criminalise
child trafficking, child labour, street hawking, and begging, which are
common practices in the state.
“Similarly, exposing children to obscene materials like phonographic content has also been criminalised.
“Offenders would be imprisoned or made
to pay fine of N500, 000 for individuals and one to five million for
companies, plus a two-year ban.
“The proposed law also de-emphasise
detaining or locking up children for juvenile offences, having realised
that detention do not help the children in anyway.
“What the law proposed in place of
detention is community service, which in all sense could instill some
level of discipline in juvenile offenders.
“Education was also covered in the law, making it mandatory for every child to acquire basic education,” the official added.
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