The Senate yesterday referred a Bill for an Act to criminalise all forms of sexual offences in Nigeria to the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters.
General principles of the Bill, co-sponsored by Senators Chris Anyanwu, Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, Victor Ndoma-Egba, SAN, Smart Adeyemi, Ikechukwu Obiorah, Zaiba Kure and 11 others, were debated yesterday. It was consequently read for second time and referred to the Committee for further processing. The Senate gave the Committee on Judiciary, headed by Senator Umaru Dahiru four weeks to report back.
The Bill, when passed into law, will prohibit sexual practices such as child pornography, incest, child prostitution and indecent exposure.It also seeks to criminalise deliberate transmission of HIV or any other life threatening sexually transmitted disease; cultural and religious practices that aid perpetuation of sexual offences; and sexual harassment relating to persons in position of authority and persons in positions of trust.
In her lead debate, Senator Anyanwu said the nation might degenerate into a society of sexual predators, going by the level of frightening reports of sexual violence in the country.
She said, �sexual violence has become so commonplace in our country that no right-thinking Nigerian can escape the prick on our collective conscience that something is seriously wrong with the way we live today.�Obasanjo-Bello said there should be an agency set up to investigate sexual crimes at the end of which the Agency would submit a report to the appropriate authorities for diligent prosecution.
Jan302008