Ekiti State government has advocated more severe punishment for persons found guilty of rape and other sexual abuses.

The state solicitor-general, Dayo Apata, made the suggestion at a two-day conference on ‘Civil Rights Law and the Family Court’, held in the state, arguing that unless decisive actions were taken against rapists, they would continue to ruin the future of innocent young girls and women.

Apata said he was alarmed by incessant cases of rape and other sexually-related offences in the state, insisting that something drastic must be done to check the trend.

He also revealed a situation where an average of one or two cases of rape were reported on weekly basis did not augur well for a state that prides itself as “Fountain of Knowledge” and “Land of Honour.”

The conference was however organized by the state ministry of justice in conjunction with UNICEF.