The Commandant, Sokoto State Hisbah Commission, Dr. Adamu Kasarawa, said the commission has recorded 155 rape cases from January to June, across the state.
Kasarawa disclosed this on Wednesday at a two-day capacity building for Male Advocates and Champions Against Sexual and Gender Based Violence, organised by Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development in Sokoto.
The Foundation, an NGO, has engaged Islamic scholars, traditional institutions, civil society groups and government offcials on ways to reduce cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in line with the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative (SI) project in Sokoto State.
EU-UN SI project is a global, multi-year partnership between the European Union and United Nations to eliminate all forms of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), backed by an initial dedicated financial envelope of 500 million pounds from 2018 to 2023.
At the event, Kasarawa decried the incessant cases of sexual assaults in the state noting that the commission recorded 606 cases in 2019 regretting that the cases comprised illegal camping of young girls, sexual exploitation and sodomy.
“This issue of rape mostly involved young girls and teenagers between the age of five and 16.
”We recorded 20 cases of child deliveries, 35 cases linked to traditional institutions attempts for settlement and 31 cases of withdrawals by victims families,” he said.
The commandant explained that the offenders cut across all calibre of people in the society, including politicians, traditional rulers, clerics, businessmen and women.
He attributed the menace to the negative attitude of some parents, adding that the issue of poverty and greed had made sexual exploitation more rampant in the state.
Kasarawa also identified interference with legal processes as one of the major challenges in prosecuting rape cases, stressing the need to tackle favouritism and compromise.
“I think anything that has to do with rape, politicians and traditional leaders, should step aside, as issues of interests should not be there because it is a capital offense,” he said.
Kasawara called for more support from all community members to empower the commission as legal and legislative processes have begun.
READ ALSO: Sokoto Hisbah Records 606 Rape Cases In 2019
He urged the state government to empower the commission to tackle the menace and other social vices in the state by providing necessary facilities, operation vehicles, modern security gadgets, training of staff and funding.
“Presently, we are just like volunteers, the Commission is owned by the government but lacked proper backing. We are still trying our best to see that we maintain the services,” he said.
“When Hisbah is empowered and on daily basis prosecute cases of rape in the state, I am very sure people would stop committing that offence.
”When offenders were being punished accordingly, it will serve as deterrent to people, and make them to go back to their senses,” he stressed.
The Wazirin Sokoto, Prof. Sambo Wali-Junaidu, advised Hisbah and other stakeholders to meet Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, to discuss issues as there was need for increased involvement of religious traditional institutions at all levels.
Wali-Junaidu, also emphasised the need for involving lawmakers, prosecuting agencies, ministry of women and children affairs in such gathering in order to have maximum impacts towards addressing the menace.
In his contribution, the District Head of Gagi, Alhaji Sani Umar-Jabbi, stressed the need for increased attitudinal change and awareness in the society, noting that inculcation of moral discipline would help curb the menace.
Umar-Jabbi also advocated for inclusion of Islamic scholars, women and youths associations at the grassroots along with establishment of links to channel complaints and reports.
Hajia Kulu Sifawa, the Commissioner for Women and Children Affairs in Sokoto, called for more support toward domestication of child protection laws for safe society and efficient application of the system.
The Sultan Foundation Project Officer, Alhaji Musa Galadanchi, said that discussions and presentations by stakeholders’ and public interests in promulgating laws for protection of women and children.
Galadanchi assured that Sultan Foundation would continue to partner with ministry for women affairs and other stakeholders on GBV and other associated initiatives.
The lectures were delivered by different scholars and modalities of achieving maximum success on all forms of violence women and children in the Society. (NAN)
