TheCable

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has questioned why girls and women are taught how to prevent sexual abuse while men and boys are not cautioned against perpetrating such acts.

Speaking at a workshop on War Against Abuse in Nigeria, Osinbajo said the various forms of abuses in the country were disturbing.

The workshop, held in Abuja on Saturday, was organised by Future Assured, a pet project of Aisha, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Osinbajo said it is time to ensure that perpetrators of sexual abuse and other forms of violence are punished.

He said it was ironic that while girls are advised to prevent rape and other forms of abuses, boys, on the order hand, are not educated on why they should not engage in any form of abuse.

The vice-president stressed the need for implementations of existing laws against societal violence.

He said: “These abuses can be prevented. We don’t have to wait until they happen. We need to do all within our power to prevent them. Victims should not be made to be on the defensive all the time.

“Women are always taught how to behave but the men and boys that perpetrate these crimes are not even mentioned. Our ability to safeguard women and girls is the key to Nigeria moving forward.

“The role of men and boys in gender-based violence should be looked into, and additional research on how to make evidence useful should also be considered.”

Also speaking, Aisha Buhari called for stiffer sanctions against perpetrators of all forms of abuses.

She said such sanctions will serve as a deterrent to others in the society.

Aisha blamed most cases of abuse on lack of information and urged victims and their guardians to always speak up and report such cases to law enforcement agencies.