From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Vice Chairman of the  Correspondents Chapel, Nigerian Union of Journalists ( NUJ), Federal Capital Territory ( FCT) chapter, Grace Ike, has called for establishment of Sexual Offences Courts across the country to tackle cases of sexual abuses. 
Ike made the call at the at the unveiling of a book “Tears from the Grave” written by Lemmy Ugbegbe, of the Men Against Rape Foundation.She expressed worry over the alarming statistics on sexual abuse, stating that all hands must be on deck to address the menace.
According to her, “the statistics are alarming—a recent survey in Nigeria revealed that 31.4% of sexually active adolescent females and 5.7% of males experienced forced sex (rape) at sexual initiation.
“Shockingly, female adolescents living with HIV are disproportionately affected by this violence. It is truly heartbreaking when individuals, regardless of age or gender, fall victim to such abhorrent acts.
“The normalization of sexual violence is spreading like wildfire, leaving victims in unimaginable physical and psychological anguish.
“Every day, we are confronted with distressing accounts of girls and women enduring unspeakable trauma due to sexual violence. What’s even more disturbing is the growing trend of perpetrators committing murder, killing their victims after these heinous acts—an act that must be condemned in the strongest terms.
“SGBV knows no boundaries—it transcends age, ethnicity, color, socioeconomic status, and geography.
While the list of victims in Nigeria is extensive, many cases remain unreported due to fear of stigma and inadequate support systems.”
Ike, who is also the chairman of the House of Representatives Press Corps,
commended the Men Against Rape Foundation and the organizers of this event for their commitment to shedding light on the harrowing experiences of victims of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV).
The book, a collection of poems on SGBV is in memory of Keren-Happuch Aondodoo Akpagher and several other victims of the menace.