The
issue of rape in today’s society, especially in Nigeria, is beginning to take
the center stage, occupying front pages of both local and national dailies. Today,
the issue of rape has gone beyond a matter of sex without consent between
a stronger male and a weak female or between one weak female and two or more
stronger male. There have been cases where defenseless females were
gang-raped by stronger male in most bizarre circumstances. There has been call
from different quarters including NGOs on the need for tougher punishment for rapists
and pedophiles. In Lagos
State, for instance, the State Government has been working hard to ensure that
no child abuser goes unpunished. The Lagos state government recently
organised stakeholders’ forum, in collaboration with the United Nations
International Children Educational Fund, UNICEF, on ‘Prevention of Sex Abuse in
Lagos’. A highlight of the forum is the need for culprits of rape cases to be
prosecuted under the provision of criminal offences as against the provisions
of the Child Rights Law in order to stem the tide of these inhuman behaviors.
This, according to participants at the forum, would signal an end to these
vices in our society.
Participants
at the forum also advocated a close monitoring on children exposing themselves
to the various social networks which could in turn make them vulnerable to
abuses from older ones. They said the responsibility of safe-guarding children
should not be seen as the exclusive preserve of government, but rather as a
joint responsibility involving the police, social workers, teachers, lawyers,
media practitioners and especially parents who should play their own part in addressing
the menace from its formative stage and from the perspective of the law.
However, it
is rather sad that the resolve of government and other stakeholders to
seriously address the issue of rape in the country is not being helped by the
provisions of the law. Unfortunately, in this regard, the punishment stipulates
by the law for rape offenders is, to say the least, too mild. Hence, it has
not served its intended purpose of discouraging rape offenders as cases of
child abuses and rape keeps increasing. According to statistics from
Partnership for Justice, a Lagos-based human rights organisation, cases of rape
have been in the increase in places such as Oshodi, Ikeja, Agege and Ketu in
Lagos State. Managing partner of the group, Itoro Eze-Anaba, disclosed this
recently during the opening of the Marabel Centre – a sexual assault and
referral centre – located at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital,
LASUTH.
According
to the statistics, from July to November 25, 2013, the centre offered free services
to 124 rape victims in the state. This figure only represents the few who
could summon courage to seek for professional help. A larger number
of sexually abused victims often prefer to bear their indignation in silence
for obvious reasons. If we are to
really tackle the issue of rape head-long, we would need to take a cue from
some countries that had already criminalised sexual and other related abuses
against children. In Scotland and England, for instance, rape had been
criminalised for over two decades. It would not be out of place if Nigeria
borrows a leaf from these countries with a view to addressing loopholes in our
laws.
Another
controversial aspect of the rape issue is what should really be classified as
rape. Going by the definition of rape, every form of sex without consent is
rape, whether it takes place within a marriage or any other kind of
relationship. Gone are those days when a woman is believed to have no legal
protection from rape by her husband. Rape within marriage and other relationships
is now clearly recognised within the law. Sexual relationship within or outside
marriage should be consensual and anything contrary to this falls under rape. Recently,
Alex Ojuala reportedly hypnotised his wife, Mrs. Glory Ojuala, who is a nursing
mother, for three days in order to have sex with her, just a few days after she
was delivered of a baby at her matrimonial home in Lagos.
For
a society beset with horrendous crimes against women, it is pertinent for our
lawmakers to combat this new wave of criminality and violence of man’s
inhumanity to the younger ones and women in general by pursuing a bill on this
rape issue with the same zeal deployed in prevailing over the issue of same sex marriage
and other laudable legislations. Also, the authorities concerned
with enforcement of laws in this regard should not be slack in doing so because
it is only when the relevant laws are implemented to the letter that the
propensity for rape would be checked.
Government
agencies such as the Ministry of Education should as a matter of urgency remove
the veil used in covering issues similar to this all in the name of keeping
some information away from them which they believed the children are not
ripe enough to know. Sex Education should be re-introduced in the education
system for students in secondary schools and ensure that children are
elaborately educated and oriented on the various indicators of sexual abuse.
Parents should yield to the call from government, especially the Lagos State
Government that all children within school age should not be seen hawking
during school hours as doing this portends greater risk to them and make them
vulnerable to abuses.
One
would love to recount the words of the late president of South Africa, Nelson
Mandela: “safety and security don’t just happen, they are the result of
collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children , women and
other vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear.” How
apt!
- Ayo Afuwape
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