Stakeholders call for establishment of sexual offenders register
News & Trends •
by ikenna uwadileke3 others are stalking abandonment of spouse children and other dependents without sustenance among others1 the stakeholders consultation held in abuja was facilitated by the rule of law and anti-corruption rolac programme of the british council and funded by the european union1 mrs amina salihu consultant to rolac said the development of sexual offenders register was crucial in advancing the implementation of violence against persons prohibition vapp act 20151 salihu who expressed worry over incidences of sexual assault in the country said the register would serve as a measure to stop and prevent sexual offences as it intends to name and shame offenders1 according to her it will serve as a source to verify profiles of would be employees in sensitive positions such as child care1 she explained that the register would provide biometric database that would share verifiable information of offenders in order to prevent repeat offending1 on her part the component manager of rolac mrs priscilla ankut said that while the register would go a long way to assist in tracking offenders it would also protect victims of violence1 the reason we are here is to make sure that national agency for prohibition of trafficking in persons naptip which is responsible for coordinating the implementation of the act should maintain and display publicly sex offenders register1 stakeholders have engaged in conversation to fashion out ways to facilitate the development of sexual offenders register in the country1 what we have today is a template of what sexual offenders register should look like and what we will do with the information that are contained in it she said1 ankut further explained that information contained in the register would provide victims the needed guide to know where to go for succour1 what that register seeks to do is to ensure we collate data of all the relevant agencies put it out in the public so that people will know where they need to go if there is violation1 and if they go there they are treated in confidence they get the kind of treatment they need and resources are available to provide them the needed assistance1 there are those that are confident enough to pursue a legal track and there are those who need legal help so this register will help victims to know where they go to get such help1 representative of international federation of women lawyers fida mrs ezinwa obiajunwa canvassed for the establishment of a special court for speedy dispensation of justice on cases of violence against persons in the country1 the vapp act 2015 prohibits all forms of violence against persons in private and public life and provides maximum protection and effective remedies for victims and punishment of offenders1 development of sexual offenders register is a provision of the vapp act designed to aid in preventing some violence against persons including rape willfully placing a person in fear of physical injury coercion and harmful widowhood practice1 this is to name and shame offenders and to create database for different agencies to track offenders and to deter those who practice sexual assault in our society1