How Stigma and Family Pressure Cover Up Abuse of Boys in Kaduna

Stakeholders in child protection and justice administration in Kaduna State have raised concerns over the growing number of sexual abuse cases involving boys that go unreported due to stigma, family pressure and cultural considerations.

The stakeholders said many of the alleged perpetrators were people known to the victims, including neighbours, relatives and other trusted adults, making it difficult for families to report the incidents or pursue justice.

Kaduna State has laws addressing violence against children and sexual offences, including the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law 2018 and the Child Welfare and Protection Law 2018.

The Kaduna State Penal Code Law 2017, as amended in 2020, also contains provisions addressing sexual intercourse with a male child below 14 years.

The stakeholders spoke in Kaduna while discussing cases of sexual violence against boys handled by the Salama Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) and the Kaduna State Ministry of Justice.

The Centre Manager of Salama SARC, Tudun Wada, Kaduna, Sidikat Adegboye, said the facility had attended to several children allegedly subjected to sexual abuse.

Adegboye said one case involved a boy brought to the centre in May 2026, where a medical examination confirmed that he had been sexually assaulted.

She added that three other boys from the same family were brought to the centre in August, with one of them also confirmed to have been sexually assaulted.

A mother involved in one of the cases, whose identity was withheld to protect her children, said she became suspicious after noticing an unusual medical condition in her young son.

According to her, the discovery prompted further examination, after which the boy disclosed that a man known in the neighbourhood had allegedly sexually abused him.

She said the child told his father that the alleged perpetrator had threatened to kill him if he revealed the abuse.

The family subsequently sought legal advice and was directed to take the child to a SARC for medical examination.

The mother said the examination conducted at Yusuf Dantsoho General Hospital indicated that the child had been subjected to sexual abuse over a prolonged period.

The matter was later reported to the police.

FIDA raises concern over alleged abuse of multiple boys

The FIDA Kaduna Chairperson, Olufunke Bamikole, said the organisation had also received complaints involving the alleged sexual abuse of boys.

Bamikole said one case involved a boy who was allegedly abused by a neighbour for more than a year.

She said the suspect allegedly took the boy in his vehicle and later returned him to his family under the guise of helping him.

According to her, the boy was subsequently taken to a SARC for medical examination and the matter reported to the police.

Bamikole said FIDA became concerned after learning that the suspect was no longer in custody, adding that subsequent information suggested that more boys might have been affected.

“Initially, we were hearing that it was only about six or seven boys the suspect was doing it to. But we later heard that there were about 40, including his own son,” she said.

She called on authorities and communities to take allegations of sexual abuse involving children seriously.

Police explain release of suspect

The Kaduna State Police Command, however, said the suspect was not released without due process.

The Officer in Charge of the Gender Section, Dominic Aku, said the suspect spent about three to four months in custody before the police forwarded the case to the Ministry of Justice for legal advice.

Aku explained that the police routinely forward case diaries to the Ministry of Justice after investigations in cases requiring legal advice.

He said the ministry determines whether the available evidence is sufficient to proceed with prosecution.

“In this case, the advice we received from the ministry stated that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him and that he should be discharged. It was not the police who released him,” he said.

NHRC blames stigma, cultural pressure

The Kaduna Coordinator of the NHRC, Tengu Gwar, said many sexual abuse cases remained hidden because victims and their families were often reluctant to report them.

He identified low legal awareness, stigma, cultural considerations and interventions by family and community leaders as some of the factors affecting the reporting of sexual abuse.

Gwar said the commission had received complaints involving alleged sexual violence against children within family and neighbourhood settings.

He said some families preferred to settle such cases privately because of fear of stigma or concern about the consequences of exposing relatives or other known persons.

According to him, some religious and community leaders also intervene after cases are reported.

He cited a case in Zaria where a mother who wanted to pursue justice after her child was allegedly sexually violated faced pressure and subsequently lost the support of her husband.

Ministry of Justice confirms prosecution of cases

A Senior State Counsel and Gender-Based Violence and Child Protection Specialist at the Kaduna State Ministry of Justice, Sarah Peter, confirmed that cases involving sexual violence against boys were being reported.

Peter said the Department of Citizens’ Rights was open to complaints involving human rights violations, including those affecting children.

She said cases could be referred to the police, Legal Aid Council, FIDA or the Multi-Door Courthouse, depending on the circumstances.

Peter disclosed that she had prosecuted cases involving young boys, including one involving a two-year-old child who was sexually assaulted.

According to her, the adult alleged to have abused the two-year-old had previously subjected a 12-year-old boy to similar abuse and subsequently forced him to participate in the assault of the younger child.

She said the 12-year-old was treated as a victim after investigations established that he had himself been sexually abused.

Peter said the adult was eventually convicted and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment and ordered to pay N500,000 in compensation to the survivor’s family.

However, she said another case involving three boys, all aged about six, was affected by their parents’ failure to make the children available to testify.

She said the parents later disclosed that their community had advised them to forgive and forget the incident and discontinue the case.

Peter warned that such interventions could undermine the prosecution of child sexual abuse cases and make it more difficult for survivors to obtain justice.