After a rise in reported rapes during last year’s coronavirus lockdown, one state in Nigeria responded by announcing a severe new form of punishment. In September, the north-western Kaduna state introduced sterilisation as a penalty for child rape.
Under the new law, men convicted of the crime will be surgically castrated, while women will have their fallopian tubes removed, a procedure known as salpingectomy. If the victim is aged under 14, the punishment will be followed by the death penalty. If they are over 14 years old, the penalty is life imprisonment.
Critics say that the new law is cruel – and that it also will be ineffective in preventing rape and sexual violence, which requires a different approach.
