Abstract

Sexual violence, which violates human rights, is widespread in Nigeria. The Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPPA) was enacted in 2015 to address issues of gender-based violence in the country. This article appraises the legal framework for the prohibition and punishment of sexual violence in Nigeria after the passage of VAPPA, to assess its adequacy in offering protection from sexual violence. Doctrinal research was utilised to analyse literature, judicial precedents and existing legislation to determine if VAPPA had strengthened the legal system. The findings of the research revealed that the laws in place before the Act were grossly inadequate and VAPPA bolstered the legal framework by criminalising most of the prevailing acts of sexual violence. The Act introduced measures, in line with global best practices to offer further protection from sexual violence. However, the implementation of the legislation has been hampered by a lack of funding among other challenges.