In the case of a 14-year old client in Rivers State the rapist, Chief Shedrack Ejinwo was remanded in prison for rape and an elevated charge of trying to settle out of court pending when DPP advice was out. This is after his family members reached out to the client’s family and paid them N370,000 to drop the case. This case is being worked on in collaboration with BehindBar Human Rights Foundation. The client is being offered physical and mental treatment at Doctors Without Borders.

Useful information on laws designed to protect women and children against violence in Nigeria:

The Violence Against the Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015 was signed into law in May 2015. The Act was signed into law in response to the overwhelming need to protect Nigerian women from different forms of violence namely, sexual, physical, psychological, harmful traditional practices, etc.

However, in spite of the signage into law of 2015 Act as a response to public outcry it is only applicable as law in Abuja (meaning it is only applicable in 3% of Nigeria). In order for the 2015 Act to be a national law, it would need to be passed in 23 out of 36 states in Nigeria (approximately 64% of states in Nigeria).

The Child Rights Act 2003 is a domestication of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It serves as legal documentation of the human rights and responsibilities of children in Nigeria.

According to the United Nations Children Education Fund, the states that are yet to domesticate the Act are Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Enugu, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara. This means 33% of states in Nigeria are yet to domesticate in comparison to 67% of states that have domesticated the Act.