The Minister for Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, says cases of rape and other forms of violence against women are under-reported.
“For every one reported cases of Gender-Based Violence, 10 are not reported,” she said while faulting statistics on GBV,” said Tallen who was a guest on the UN Spotlight Initiative Town Hall on Violence Against Women on Tuesday.
“I am happy that the last speaker you just interviewed on the street confirmed that some communities try to suppress and stop people from reporting Gender-Based Violence.”
The Minister called for an end to the rising cases of rape and other forms of violence against women and girls in the country.
While condemning the act, she declared that further violent cases were unacceptable.
She, therefore, encouraged Nigerians and other forms of victims to speak out in order to end the scourge of violence against the female folks.
According to the Minister, perpetrators of violence against women should be named and shamed to serve as a deterrent to others.
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“All hands must be on deck. People must come out and speak, support, and encourage victims. It is the perpetrators that should be shamed.
“That is where I will commend the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Governor Fayemi is one of the first governors that launched the Sex Offenders Register in his state,” she said.
The Minister reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government in ending the GBV in the country, thereby calling on states to emulate both Ekiti and Lagos in opening the Sex offenders Register.
She believes doing that will bring suspected rapists to book and stop the ugly trend of rape and other violent cases in the country.