Should Nigeria have a sex offender registry?

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Yes, it is high time Nigeria had a sex offender registry because
we now have a high rate of rape, sexual violence and assaults in
the society. It should be a gender centre where both men and women
can report such cases. We have a lot of cases of sexual harassment
at work and in other places including educational institutions
especially within our university environment, where most of such
incident go unreported. I have also met men who were harassed by
women.

There is a colleague of mine (a lawyer) who was harassed by a
woman. Having a sex offender registry will greatly reduce incidents
of sexual harassment.

It will not only serve as a deterrent to others, it will ensure
that sex offenders are brought to book. It will also provide an
opportunity for victims of sexual violence to report offenders and
get justice as is the case in other climes.

Most times, when you take matters bordering on sexual offences
to the police, they dismiss it as a family matter, so no serious
investigation is carried out and victims are left to suffer in
silence.

For instance, they may begin to mention reasons why a victim of
rape was raped. You hear things like: “can’t you see how short your
dress is? Why did you go there alone at night? All these things
become like a double jeopardy for the victim of such crimes.

If we have a registry that one can go quietly, report and
register one’s complaint and the offender is invited for
interrogation and when found culpable, he or she is punished;
victims will be interested in reporting their ordeal to relevant
authorities and seek help.

I feel very bad because many ladies are sexually abused and they
hardly get justice because when they report to the police or other
security agencies, their cases are treated with levity and
offenders go unpunished.

If the government is serious and it puts in place a sex offender
registry, it will go a long way in curtailing the number of cases
of sexual harassments because many offenders and would be offenders
will be afraid of getting listed in the hall of shame which the
register represents.

I support the establishment of sex offender registry. It will
bring a lot of sanity to our society. •Dr. Biola Adimula
(Chairperson, Women and Child Watch Initiative)

Habeeb Whyte
It would be a welcome development if Nigeria has a sex offender
registry. The registry would harbour the register that contains the
details of anyone convicted, cautioned or released from prison for
sexual related offences.

The register is kept by the police with information of the sex
offender such as passport number, national insurance number, bank
account details, DNA, fingerprints and photographs.

If your relative has been accused or convicted of a sex crime,
such person’s details will be held on the Sex Offender register.
This may have some implications for you and other members of your
family, particularly people under the age of 18, who live in your
home.

Sexual related offences are crimes against the most vulnerable
set of people in our society and with the rising wave of rape and
other forms of sexual abuse involving, especially, minors, the move
for the country to have a sex offender register is a welcome
idea.

Keeping such a record would mark a turning point in the campaign
against rape.

It is mandatory for sex offences to be reported, irrespective of
the offender and the way the issue is settled. The register is
expected to complement the existing crime data register to enable
law enforcement agencies to prosecute sexual related offences.

If this record is kept, it would make the offenders think twice
before committing such offences. There is a need for proper
education in order to curb sexual offences.

The penalty for such offences should be commensurate with the
crime. The current penalty for sex offences is not strong enough to
dissuade others from committing such crimes. • Habeeb Whyte (Legal
practitioner)

Dr. Betta Edu
I strongly believe that Nigeria is ripe for a sex offender
registry. This country needs to know all those that have committed
sex offences in the past, even if they have served their terms in
jail, we need to know who they are and the country needs to keep
track of their activities because once a sex offender commits the
crime, chances are that he will do it again.

When we have a sex offender registry, it will deter others from
committing such crimes and the nation will be the better for it. I
strongly believe that women and young girls should be protected
from sex offences and offenders.

One of the ways to deter sex offenders is to expose them. Let
everybody know the identity of such people to enable the public
take proper precaution in dealing with them. People will be in a
better position to make informed judgments about who their children
and wards associate with.

The sex offender register should also be made public so that we
can track such people to prevent them from committing such crimes
in the feature. At the same time, the sex offender registry will
also help us as a nation to provide programmes targeted at
rehabilitating offenders even as victims are taken through therapy.
Sometimes, these offenders may also be victims of mental illness
who may require help to live meaningful lives. • Dr. Betta Edu
(Director-General, Cross River State Primary Health Care
Development Agency)

Aisha Yesufu
Absolutely, I think it is very critical to have a sex offender
registry and for such offenders to be tracked so that whenever they
go to a certain area, people would be notified. Sex abuse has
become a very serious issue and in this country, we don’t see sex
offences as criminal cases that they are.

They are often considered as misdemeanours. Because of that, the
kind of punitive measures such offenders deserve are often not
given. These sex offenders are not murderers but they destroy
lives. They cause psychological and emotional trauma and the way it
has become rampant is unbelievable.

Ultimately, women are not as safe as they ought to be. It is
true that we have a poor record-keeping culture in Nigeria, but if
we make it a priority, we will get it done; that is what I believe.
The first step is for all stakeholders to agree that there is a
need for such a register because if we don’t agree, we won’t work
towards it. People who have been found to have committed sexual
related offences must be prosecuted and sentenced and then placed
on the register. We need to be clear that it is not just about
people being put on the register without justice.

They must face the full wrath of the law. I also believe that
this register should be put online for all Nigerians to have access
to it. It should be something that everyone should have access to
because if people cannot access it, then it cannot help anyone. The
register is also very important because most times, sex offenders
are repeat offenders. They hardly stop and it is good for people to
know about them and avoid them. • Aisha Yesufu (Human rights
activist)

Wale Oluwafemi
Yes, Nigeria should have a sex offender registry. There are so many
unreported cases of rape happening in Nigeria.

This is due to the stigmatisation of victims. So many victims
would prefer to suffer in silence instead of being subjected to
public ridicule. There are also cases of assault and victimisation
especially, among female students.

Many of those that have been found wanting in the past still
walk the streets freely while their victims are left to suffer
trauma in silence.

But when a sex offender registry is opened, those who are listed
in the register will have their image tarnished for life and
members of the public will be cautious while dealing with them.
•Wale Oluwafemi (An Ekiti-based civil servant)

Compiled by: Success Nwogu, Mudiaga Affe, Kamarudeen Ogundele,
Samuel Awoyinfa and Eniola Akinkuotu

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