A 35-year-old bus driver, Adeleke Adetayo, who was charged with sleeping
with his nine-year-old and 13-year-old daughters, has been sentenced by the
Family Court unit of an Ikeja Chief Magistrate’s Court to 14 years
imprisonment. Saturday PUNCH had in July 2013, reported how Adetayo’s
two daughters were rescued after a sexual abuse that lasted two years. Another
report was published in December 2013, detailing the children’s life at the
Lagos State Children’s Home, where they lamented that they had been scarred for
life as a result of the abuse they suffered from their father.
The six-month trial of
Adetayo culminated in him finally pleading guilty to sexual assault of his
children. In her judgement, Chief Magistrate A. Oshoniyi found Adetayo guilty
of sexual abuse and child defilement, sentencing him to seven years each for
the crime against each child. The judgment has been hailed by activists and
government officials involved in the case, who stated that it was a victory for
the Child Rights Act, 2005, which has hitherto been flouted by many criminals.
The Child Rights Act
prescribes a sentence of 14 years for a person found guilty of having sexual
intercourse with a child. Director of the Esther Child Rights Foundation, Mrs.
Esther Ogwu, who rescued the children and handed them over to the Lagos State
Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviationn, hailed the judgment as a
message to pedophiles in the state that the law would catch up with them. She
said,
“I cannot be happier about how this case turned out. It is not only about the
fact that the law has prevailed but that it is now clear that child defilement
cases can be effectively prosecuted. There was no way of reaching the
mother of the abused children, Kemi for comment. The woman who has since
remarried in Oyo Stat has remained incommunicado since her children were taken
into custody by the state government. Adetayo is to spend his sentence at the
Kirikiri Prisons.
PUNCH 15/02/14
My View:
A good step in the right
direction! It is obvious that the Lagos Government
is the State at the forefront of working tirelessly to Fight Sexual Abuse in
Nigeria. This judgement will sound as a warning to other rapists and pedophiles out there. Never the less, there is still much to be done. I believe this punishment
is not enough. Concerning sexual abuse, three factors should be taken into
consideration, which I termed the “PPC
rule”: PREVENTION. PUNISHMENT. CORRECTION
1.
Prevention-
Effective and efficient measures must be implemented by
the government to prevent Sexual Abuse in every society. Individuals must take stringent
measures to protect themselves; Parents must protect their children/wards, especially
in a state where every man is “On his Own” in terms of security.
2. Punishment – For
any persons found guilty of Sexual Abuse, strong and lasting punishments should
be meted on such persons. When convicted, spending time in jail will enable the
convict have enough time to reflect on his/her actions during the jail term.
3. Correction- It
is not enough to punish someone for a crime. It is one thing to punish; and it
is another thing for such persons to truly understand why he/she is being punished.
Perpetrations of sexual abuse should also be rehabilitated. They should be
educated and enlightened on the dangers and effects of their actions to prevent
a repeat of such act.
Edna Wey!
http://www.evesworldinternational.blogspot.com
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