Sexual violence and victims’ reporting practices in Ibadan, Oyo State

Abstract

The reporting of sexual violence precedes interventions for justice. The study examines the factors influencing the victims’ reporting of sexual violence in Ibadan, Nigeria. It used mixed methods. It analysed the data collected from the randomly selected 326 respondents from 8 local government areas at two levels. Thematically, it analysed collected qualitative data from 15 purposively selected key informant interviewees in Ibadan. The quantitative results indicate that 87.1% of the respondents acknowledged awareness of the legal implications of sexual violence. However, more victims who reported cases of sexual violence suggested castration for perpetrators. The qualitative data confirm that some victims’ parents are complicit. It concludes that parents who aid and abet sexual violence by withdrawing reported cases should be prosecuted.