Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Pauline Tallen, has recommended castration as punishment for perpetrators of incest in Nigeria.

Tallen made the recommendation at a news conference in commemoration of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Abuja on Sunday.

She described incest as the worst form of GBV which required stringent punishment as castration.

She added that “incest is the worst form of gender-based violence and I advocate castration as punishment for offenders.

“Let us name and shame the perpetrators of incest because it is the worst form of GBV.”

The minister appealed to the media to amplify the message to end all forms of violence against women and girls and called for domestication of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act 2015 by all state governments.

Dr. Natalia Kanem, the Executive Director of UN Population Fund (UNFPA), blamed the prevalence of incest and other forms of GBV to conspiracy of silence.

Kanem noted that incest only thrived where the victim was coerced into being silent.

She expressed worry over the insecurity of women and girls at homes, where they were supposed to be protected by the family “but ironically are violated.

“Sadly, the girl child who is supposed to be nurtured in her family is raped by family member. This is sad,” she lamented.

The executive director expressed the commitment of UNFPA to partner Nigeria in creating a future where women and girls would be protected and dignified, saying that “GBV is a crime against humanity.”

She also urged Nigeria to support women’s access to family planning services.

However, Ms Rachel Snow, the Branch Chief of Population and Development in the Technical Division of UNFPA, expressed determination of the fund to assist Nigeria to conduct a credible and reliable census.

Snow described census as a critical element for national planning and development.

She said that UNFPA was ready to support Nigeria to ensure that census was conducted in a transparent, credible and reliable manner.