In recent times, the Nigerian media has reported the increasing
frequency of rape cases across the country. The upsurge, especially
of gang rapes and rapes of girls by miscreants, relatives and
neighbours, should rightly become a source of concern to all.
Though a global phenomenon, appalling side to our experience of
its menace here has to do with impunity of the perpetrators,
lackluster response of justice administrators and absence of
institutional supportive system to help the victims.
Perhaps more worrisome is the fact that large numbers of
suspected rapists roam freely on the streets after committing the
heinous act. Equally bothersome is that the act has now assumed a
new dimension whereby victims are sometimes gang raped in broad
daylight with crowds hanging around as mute spectators of a
salacious drama while victims are groped, stripped and assaulted.
Another sad aspect is that victim is occasionally blamed while
little is done concerning our apparently weak law.
The rape epidemic in our society sadly reflects the extent to
which women’s rights are threatened. This calls to question not
only our sense of justice but our civilization. The big question,
of course, is why do men rape? Most experts believe the primary
cause of rape is an aggressive desire to dominate the victim rather
than an attempt to achieve sexual fulfillment. They consider rape
an act of violence rather than principally a sexual encounter. This
is the opinion of experts. But one is of the opinion that beside
the desire to dominate, rape, can also be situated in the state of
minds of perpetrators.
The brazenly manner rape is often committed indicates that
perpetrators still have a stone-age mentality of women as chattels
who are to be used without independent thoughts. It also portrays
some as pure lunatics. Or what do we think of such recent reported
case of a 14-year old, who was gang-raped to death by some
miscreant in Lagos. The Junior Secondary School 3 student on
holiday was said to be alone at home when the mad hoodlums fiercely
gained entry into her parent’s apartment and took turn to rape her.
The miscreants, according to report, usually hang out in a smoking
joint in Abule- Ado area of Lagos State.
Perhaps, more horrifying is the case of a 21-year old lady who
was gang-raped by five men on her way to work early in the morning
around 5:30 am at Irawo area of Owode-Onirin, Ikorodu, Lagos in May
2017. Most Nigerians would still not have forgotten an incident
that occurred in 2011 when a woman, repeatedly asked her attackers
to kill her as they take turns to rape her at a university
dormitory at Abia State University. There was also the abominable
case of a Dad who raped her 12-year-old daughter as reported in the
Daily Sun of October 16, 2012.
Cases of security men especially police officers‘re-raping’ rape
victims have not lost in our memory either. In 2014, an Amnesty
International report listed rape as one of the methods allegedly
being used by the Nigerian Police to extract confession from female
suspects. Again, most often, Police officers purportedly ask rape
victims irrational and dispiriting questions. Sadly, the military
is no better.
As if to prove a U.S Novelist and feminist, Marilyn French
right, over her submission that: “All men are rapists and that’s
all they are. They rape us with their eyes, their laws, and their
code”, voice against rape is still criminally silent, the law
against rape is ineffective, the institutions to render support is
sick and culpable of the act while our leaders seem helpless. We
tend to reduce the problem to issue of indecent dressing as if the
kids that “beasts” violated also attract them with indecent
dress.
Millions of Nigerians continue to believe that women invite
trouble on themselves by being careless. Mothers often chide
daughters for wearing provocative clothing, in most cases a
sleeveless garment or a pair of hip-hugging jeans. Though one is
against indecent dressing, but it could not be a justification for
raping. Come to think of; is indecent dressing a ‘rapeable’
offence?
In a nutshell, dramatic changes have to take place in public
attitude towards rape if we are ready to stem the tide. Steps
towards this direction include public enlightenment and education
campaign as well as institutional support. Cheerfully, all these
are being offered in Lagos State by the Ministry of Women Affairs
and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) and Ministry of Justice through
Office of Public Defenders (OPD) in Lagos State. WAPA has trained
Health Workers drawn from primary and secondary health facilities
in the state on Women’s Rights, Gender Based Violence (GBV) and the
management of GBV survivors. The Health Workers were trained to
serve as change agents through which statistic on rape and other
forms of violence can be gotten from. Documentation by health
facilities can be useful as evidence to get a no contest order in
criminal proceedings against perpetrators.
The Ministry also in conjunction with United Nations Population
Fund (UNFPA) organized a symposium for HODs in WAPA and Community
Leaders across the State on the need to end Gender Based Violence
in the Society. The Ministry in addition collaborated with United
Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in organizing Year 2016, 16 Days
Activism against Gender – Based Violence Campaign.
This is an annual event that holds globally from 25th November,
(the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against
Women) to 10th December, (Human Rights Day) to put an end to
violence against women and girls around the world.
The state has also courted the Lagos Police Command in this
regard. Parley with police on gender violence has become a yearly
activity in the state. Media and movie industries intervention in
the fight against rape and other form of gender violence are also
commendable.
While one cannot say this has drastically impacted on the fight
against rape, it is undoubtedly a step in the right direction.
Therefore, one strongly recommends that other relevant stakeholders
equally evolve new strategies that would really assist in tackling
the menace of rape in our country. The heinous crime represents a
slap on our collective sensibility and as such it must be frontally
addressed.
Musbau is of the Features Unit, Lagos State Ministry of
Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos
In recent times, the Nigerian media has reported the increasing
frequency of rape cases across the country. The upsurge, especially
of gang rapes and rapes of girls by miscreants, relatives and
neighbours, should rightly become a source of concern to
all.
Though a global phenomenon, appalling side to our experience of
its menace here has to do with impunity of the perpetrators,
lackluster response of justice administrators and absence of
institutional supportive system to help the victims.
Perhaps more worrisome is the fact that large numbers of
suspected rapists roam freely on the streets after committing the
heinous act. Equally bothersome is that the act has now assumed a
new dimension whereby victims are sometimes gang raped in broad
daylight with crowds hanging around as mute spectators of a
salacious drama while victims are groped, stripped and assaulted.
Another sad aspect is that victim is occasionally blamed while
little is done concerning our apparently weak law.
The rape epidemic in our society sadly reflects the extent to
which women’s rights are threatened. This calls to question not
only our sense of justice but our civilization. The big question,
of course, is why do men rape? Most experts believe the primary
cause of rape is an aggressive desire to dominate the victim rather
than an attempt to achieve sexual fulfillment. They consider rape
an act of violence rather than principally a sexual encounter. This
is the opinion of experts. But one is of the opinion that beside
the desire to dominate, rape, can also be situated in the state of
minds of perpetrators.
The brazenly manner rape is often committed indicates that
perpetrators still have a stone-age mentality of women as chattels
who are to be used without independent thoughts. It also portrays
some as pure lunatics. Or what do we think of such recent reported
case of a 14-year old, who was gang-raped to death by some
miscreant in Lagos. The Junior Secondary School 3 student on
holiday was said to be alone at home when the mad hoodlums fiercely
gained entry into her parent’s apartment and took turn to rape her.
The miscreants, according to report, usually hang out in a smoking
joint in Abule- Ado area of Lagos State.
Perhaps, more horrifying is the case of a 21-year old lady who
was gang-raped by five men on her way to work early in the morning
around 5:30 am at Irawo area of Owode-Onirin, Ikorodu, Lagos in May
2017. Most Nigerians would still not have forgotten an incident
that occurred in 2011 when a woman, repeatedly asked her attackers
to kill her as they take turns to rape her at a university
dormitory at Abia State University. There was also the abominable
case of a Dad who raped her 12-year-old daughter as reported in the
Daily Sun of October 16, 2012.
Cases of security men especially police officers‘re-raping’ rape
victims have not lost in our memory either. In 2014, an Amnesty
International report listed rape as one of the methods allegedly
being used by the Nigerian Police to extract confession from female
suspects. Again, most often, Police officers purportedly ask rape
victims irrational and dispiriting questions. Sadly, the military
is no better.
As if to prove a U.S Novelist and feminist, Marilyn French
right, over her submission that: “All men are rapists and that’s
all they are. They rape us with their eyes, their laws, and their
code”, voice against rape is still criminally silent, the law
against rape is ineffective, the institutions to render support is
sick and culpable of the act while our leaders seem helpless. We
tend to reduce the problem to issue of indecent dressing as if the
kids that “beasts” violated also attract them with indecent
dress.
Millions of Nigerians continue to believe that women invite
trouble on themselves by being careless. Mothers often chide
daughters for wearing provocative clothing, in most cases a
sleeveless garment or a pair of hip-hugging jeans. Though one is
against indecent dressing, but it could not be a justification for
raping. Come to think of; is indecent dressing a ‘rapeable’
offence?
In a nutshell, dramatic changes have to take place in public
attitude towards rape if we are ready to stem the tide. Steps
towards this direction include public enlightenment and education
campaign as well as institutional support. Cheerfully, all these
are being offered in Lagos State by the Ministry of Women Affairs
and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) and Ministry of Justice through
Office of Public Defenders (OPD) in Lagos State. WAPA has trained
Health Workers drawn from primary and secondary health facilities
in the state on Women’s Rights, Gender Based Violence (GBV) and the
management of GBV survivors. The Health Workers were trained to
serve as change agents through which statistic on rape and other
forms of violence can be gotten from. Documentation by health
facilities can be useful as evidence to get a no contest order in
criminal proceedings against perpetrators.
The Ministry also in conjunction with United Nations Population
Fund (UNFPA) organized a symposium for HODs in WAPA and Community
Leaders across the State on the need to end Gender Based Violence
in the Society. The Ministry in addition collaborated with United
Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in organizing Year 2016, 16 Days
Activism against Gender – Based Violence Campaign.
This is an annual event that holds globally from 25th November,
(the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against
Women) to 10th December, (Human Rights Day) to put an end to
violence against women and girls around the world.
The state has also courted the Lagos Police Command in this
regard. Parley with police on gender violence has become a yearly
activity in the state. Media and movie industries intervention in
the fight against rape and other form of gender violence are also
commendable.
While one cannot say this has drastically impacted on the fight
against rape, it is undoubtedly a step in the right direction.
Therefore, one strongly recommends that other relevant stakeholders
equally evolve new strategies that would really assist in tackling
the menace of rape in our country. The heinous crime represents a
slap on our collective sensibility and as such it must be frontally
addressed.
Musbau is of the Features Unit, Lagos State Ministry of
Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos
Read more https://nairalaw.com/contending-with-upsurge-of-rape-cases-by-rasak-musbau/