UNSEEN, UNHEARD: AN EXAMINATION OF NIGERIA’S RESPONSE TO MALE SEXUAL ASSAULT AND ITS HUMAN RIGHTS IMPLICATIONS

Abstract

Sexual assault is an offence which has left many broken, battered, and traumatised. The law has strived in many aspects to protect victims of this offence and apprehend their respective perpetrators. However, this is not the case when the victims are male. A significant proportion of the population have been overlooked and left helpless in their pursuit of justice for the abuse they have suffered. In Nigerian society, where strength and stoicism are tied closely to masculinity, male victims have been frequently met with disbelief, stigma, or outright denial. This silence has extended into law, where the existing legal frameworks have historically struggled to recognise and respond to the realities of male sexual victimisation. The article thus, examined the legal and institutional barriers which have denied redress to these victims, sometimes deliberately, sometimes unknowingly. Despite legislative changes and procedural amendments, it was found that the Nigerian criminal law is still a long way from being all encompassing and gender-neutral in its provisions on sexual assault, especially when compared with what is attainable in other notable jurisdictions. It was also found that sexual assault is a serious breach of one’s fundamental human right, hence, recognising and protecting each one irrespective of their biological sex is not only a legal necessity, but a moral imperative of the Nigerian criminal justice system. This article, therefore, recommended urgent legal review, increased public education, and strengthened institutional support to break the silence surrounding male sexual assault, as well as to ensure justice for male survivors and thoroughly punish their violators.