CO129-376 - Governor Sir Lugard - 1911 [3-4] — Page 478

Enclosure 2.

465

within less than 6 years of the inauguration of the Protector.

-ate and in little over a year from the date of the conquest

of Sokoto and Kano to make slave dealing an offence punish-

-able for a non-native by 14 years and for a native by 7

years (plus 2 years in lieu of fine), yet for the offence of

purchasing a human being aggravated by the intent to compel

her at the age of 11 or 12 to become a prostitute the Hong-

-kong Law (Ordinance 4 of 1897) imposes only the absurdly

inadequate penalty of two years' imprisonment. Offences of

this latter class are largely committed by women, upon whom

of course flogging cannot be inflicted, and I venture to

suggest that in their case the probably equally deterrent

penalty of a week's solitary confinement in lieu of the

flogging, which they would if males have received, be

substituted for corporal punishment. As the act of purchase

is difficult to prove and evasion by means of so called

adoption (with a present of money) may be easy, I consider

that the two cases should be discriminated and I enclose a

draft law to give effect to my proposals.

3.

It has been represented to me by

the Second Police Magistrate that if the punishment of

ordinary