Senate votes for life imprisonment for child sex defilement offenders

The Senate has passed a bill amending the Criminal Code Act to impose a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment for anyone convicted of defiling a minor sexually. The legislative bill eliminates the option of fines, applying the maximum penalty to both male and female offenders, emphasizing that the legal age of consent in Nigeria is 18.
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The decision to implement the maximum penalty comes due to the persistent high rates of sexual violence against children in the country. A 2015 report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) found that one in four girls and one in ten boys in the country had experienced sexual violence before the age of 18, making it necessary to creating a stronger legal deterrent to protect minors.
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The amendment originated from a debate on stiffer penalties, where a proposal by Senator Adams Oshiomhole to differentiate the punishment from general rape was ultimately superseded by a tougher amendment.
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The bill is being applauded by the senators who initiated the debate, all of whom argue that the irreversible psychological harm child sex defilement exerts on a minor warrants the severest possible punishment. As stated by Senator Adams Oshiomhole, ‘defilement concerns a child whose life can be destroyed almost permanently’.
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The bill now moves through the legislative process, requiring approval from the House of Representatives and the signature of the President to become federal law.
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