KOWA Party has condoled with the
family of 13- year-old Ochanya Elizabeth Ogbanje, who battled Vesicovaginal
Fistula (VVF) and other health complications at the Benue State University
Teaching Hospital and died at the Ultimate Care Hospital, following alleged
rape by her aunt’s husband and his son, identified as Andrew Ogbuja and Victor
Inalegwu Ogbuja.
The alleged rape was said to have
started when the deceased was 8 years old.
In a statement on Saturday by
Olakunle Olawole, the National Youth Leader, the party disclosed that it had
petitioned to the Presidency, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Justice, Ministry
of Youth and sports, Ministry of Women Affairs, Ministry of Education, and the
Nigeria Police, on matter.
Already, labour unions have asked
the federal government to treat the Ochanya’s case with seriousness.
KOWA is demanding that the
perpetrators be held accountable and that punishment to be meted out must be
firm and effective enough to serve as a deterrent to others in society.
The statement said Ochanya’s
unfortunate circumstances is one of the realities of government’s failure to
safeguard Nigeria’s children and the lackadaisical approach to impunity
associated with sexual violence and child abuse in Nigeria.
It read: “The need for state
oversight on children has been totally neglected, whereas the fate of a child
is undetermined especially with the denial of the fundamental human rights of
citizens.
“It is alarming to note that
although Nigeria subscribed to the Child’s Right act, the government does not
concern itself with the welfare of children, especially the girl child and does
not give regards to whether they go to school, are denied essential medicine,
subjected to slavery, trafficked, or sexually violated.
“We demand that asides from
issuing birth certificates, (and sometimes when they die – death certificates),
government should take complete oversight over the Nigerian child with an
established minimum standard of care that caregivers must provide.
“We wish to reiterate that there
as been an astronomical increase in the number of children suffering from
sexual violence, without plans to provide rehabilitation for them while
bringing perpetrators to justice.
“The government’s carrot and
stick approach has gotten us to this level as a nation,and at such we demand
that the Ochanya’s incidence be giving concrete attention and perpetrators
brought to justice.”
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