Appraising the legal regime on sexual offences against children in Nigeria

Abstract

The rate of child molestation in Nigeria is alarming and disturbing. This paper interrogates the legal regime on sexual offences against  children in Nigeria. It specifically examines the extant criminal legislations that prohibit and punish carnal connection between adults and  children in Nigeria. The paper adopted doctrinal research method through critical content analysis of relevant laws and scholarly  works on the subject matter. It found that sexual offences against children are extant and unabated notwithstanding the avalanche of  criminal legislations that prohibit the act and punish perpetrators. The authors recommended among others moral cum value re- orientation, sex education, and strict enforcement of the extant criminal legislations in the Nigerian Laws. It concludes that carnal knowledge of a child; whether male or female is a crime as well as a violation of the human right norms of the child.