By Oluwaseun Sonde
Human Rights Organisation, Amnesty International has called on Nigerian Authorities to ensure that perpetrators of the death of 14-year old Karen Akpagher, allegedly raped in Abuja, are held accountable.
As means of remembering Karen's death on Tuesday, who's perpetrators have not brought to book till now, the Organisation called for action, revealed that women and girls are often at risk of violence in Nigeria.
Karen Happuch Aondodoo Akpagher, aged 14, Premier Academy student, Lugbe, Abuja, was allegedly raped in her school, while she died of complications resulting from the rape a few days later on June 22, 2021.
According to Amnesty, "Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, during the launch of the national sex offenders registry in November 2019, estimated that every year two million women and girls are sexually assaulted in the country.
"However, only a limited number of those assaults are reported. And when they are reported, too many cases of rape or femicide go unpunished. Perpetrators often escape justice or are not prosecuted".
The organization disclosed that reporting to police as well as accessing health care, legal aid, or counseling remain extremely difficult for gender-based violence survivors in many states in Nigeria.
"It’s an issue that needs to be urgently dealt with. If we can ensure that justice is served in these cases, we could begin to imagine a future where gender-based violence is no longer accepted", Amnesty added.
Comments