The prevalence of rape – Thisday

The society must stand up to fight the increasing violence against women
There is growing evidence that many Nigerian women are falling victims of sexual violence. The violation of infants and children highlights the alarming dimension of the problem. Only last week the police in Toro local council in Bauchi State arrested a 25-year man for allegedly raping an eight-year-old girl. “The suspect lured the girl who happened to be the daughter of his neighbour into an uncompleted building. He subsequently had an unlawful carnal knowledge of her,” said the police. The police also recently reported the arrest of a school teacher who raped his 10-year- old primary four pupil in the toilet.

The shame is that these are not isolated incidents. Across the nation, there are disturbing reports which paint a picture of a society that is increasingly dangerous for women and girls to live in. Our university campuses, ordinarily considered as sane and safe havens for the acquisition of knowledge and inculcation of character, have also been turned into hideouts for gang-raping and forced sexual gratification. Even more worrying is that some of these incidents are actually perpetuated at homes – coming from depraved fathers who sexually abuse their own daughters. Yet rape is a violation of the most demeaning kind, a tool of humiliation. For some of the victims, the scars are there for life. Indeed, so many victims have been ruined as they become perpetually depressed. But it is crime that is rampart in many societies.

In Nigeria, the fear of stigma and most especially when the law will most likely not convict the rapists discourage majority of the targets from formalising the reports of incidents involving them. This reluctance, however, has only contributed to the rise in a culture of impunity on the part of the perpetrators. The policy brief of the National Crime and Safety Survey clearly depicts how prevalent sexual violence is, as well as the fact that our society seems to be living in denial about the issue. The study particularly reveals that victims of rape hardly lodge reports for fear that their cases would not be treated seriously, that they would be stigmatised or that corruption would hinder effective investigation.

The Child Rights Act (and Laws) enacted, so far, in many states of the federation clearly mandates that a specialised unit in the Police Force should handle cases involving children. Unfortunately, even the trained and specialised police officers get routinely transferred and deployed to other beats, without being given the opportunity to implement their newfound skills. The need for a review of existing strategies and the strengthening of mechanisms, including for documenting these incidents, has therefore never been more urgent.

However, beyond those who have been entrusted with the responsibility of protecting life and property, the society also needs to be alive to its responsibility. A police force is as good as the society that supports it. A point of safe, protective and comforting recourse must exist for victims of sexual violence to address their immediate needs as well as to enable them summon the courage to pursue the ends of justice. While better training on a wider scale and diligent prosecution and swift and exemplary sanctions would certainly send a strong signal to the perpetrators to desist, the press remains a necessary partner in sustained efforts to curb these wanton acts of evil.
Our courts must also be proactive and stringent in applying sanctions, as some of the verdicts, for the few that have actually been successfully prosecuted, are ridiculous. Telecom companies should readily donate help-lines with free calls for victims of violence, while our hospitals and the legal profession should be prepared to offer pro bono services to the victims. We must all be ready to stand up to fight this menace which violates the dignity of our girls and women and, by extension, our society as a whole.