Women Affairs Minister advocates castration as punishment for incest

The Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen, has advocated castration as a punishment for perpetrators of incest in Nigeria.

Tallen made the recommendation at a news conference in commemoration of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Abuja on Sunday.

She described incest as the worst form of GBV which required stringent punishment as castration.

She added that “incest is the worst form of gender-based violence and I advocate castration as punishment for offenders.

“Let us name and shame the perpetrators of incest because it is the worst form of GBV.”

The minister appealed to the media to amplify the message to end all forms of violence against women and girls and called for the domestication of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act 2015 by all state governments.

Read also: Women Affairs Minister seeks justice for raped, murdered UNILORIN student

Dr Natalia Kanem, the Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), blamed the prevalence of incest and other forms of GBV for a conspiracy of silence.

Kanem noted that incest only thrived where the victim was coerced into being silent.

She expressed worry over the insecurity of women and girls at homes, where they were supposed to be protected by the family “but ironically are violated.

“Sadly, the girl child who is supposed to be nurtured in her family is raped by a family member. This is sad,” she lamented.

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