DAILY INDEPENDENT

Obasanjo-Bello Canvasses Agency To Prosecute Sexual Harassment


 
By Adetutu Folasade-Koyi Senior Correspondent, Abuja
Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:00


Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello is canvassing support for the creation of an agency that would prosecute people accused of sexual harassment, rape or incest.

Her proposition is coming barely two weeks after her younger brother, Gbenga, made sexual allegations against their father, former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Obasanjo-Bello, former Commissioner for Health in Ogun State, is the first daughter of the former President.

She made the submission on Tuesday during the Second Reading of the Sexual Offences Bill (SB 12), which seeks to criminalise sexual offences and protect victims of such acts.

"Sexual crime can damage the international image of a nation. We should have an agency that will take care of sex crimes. The agency will protect people who volunteer information.

"It will also probe sex crimes referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Human Rights. There is a psychological implication of some of these sex crimes on the victims," the Senator observed.

Obasanjo-Bello’s contribution came on the heels of a declaration from Senate spokesman, Ayogu Eze, who raised the alarm that phone numbers of federal legislators are being sold for N20,000 and N10,000 respectively.

Senator Chris Anyanwu (PDP, Imo east) is the major sponsor of the bill on sexual harssment, supported by 15 other members.

Leading the debate on the bill, Anyanwu noted the rising incidence of sexual offences and urged the Senate to enact stiffer laws which will criminalise the act in the country.

"The truth is that our underaged children, both boys and girls, have become target of predators. With the onslaught of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, a more dangerous dimension has emerged.

"From the predominantly Muslim North to the largely Christian South, the flood of reports on the escalation of sexual crimes is very frightening," she noted.