Nigeria Launches Sex Offenders Register

The Nigerian government, in partnership with the European Union and the British Council, has launched a sex offenders register that will contain the names of convicted rapists and sex offenders.

Juliana Joseph, an official from Nigeria’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), said it “will be kept in Nigeria where the names of the people who have been alleged to be perpetrators of sexual offences or those that have been convicted of rape will be written on, in separate places.

“Employers of labour go there to find out if the name of the proposed employee is in the register.  It is supposed to be a naming and shaming register”.

Ms Joseph explained how international travel will become increasingly difficult for those convicted for sexual offences.

“People will see that once their names are on the register, even leaving the country becomes difficult… Once your name is there, you will not be able to go to school or travel freely abroad.  Once your name goes in there, you are finished for life”.

She said the register had only been made possible due to support from various agencies in Nigeria, namely the police, correctional centres, the State Security Service, and other actors working on gender and sexual-based violence.

Data on sexual violence is scant, with victims often too scared to come forward fearing they will be ostracised by their community.

According to Unicef, the United Nations’ children’s fund, one in four girls in the country have experienced sexual violence by the age of 18 and receive little to no support from authorities.