Just In: Say No To Rape Everywhere!
Rape happens because there are rapist around roaming the streets looking for someone to rape, to devour, kill and destroy. It will not be your portion in Jesus name. Amen.
The ugly cycle of violent crimes has now turned full circle on rape and incest in all parts of the country. Non-governmental organisations swept through Benin City, Edo State last week, demanding justice in the mortal rape of Uwaila Omozuwa, an 100- level undergraduate of the University of Benin.
Also on Monday, a teenager, a diploma student of Federal College of Animal Health and Production, was attacked in her home. Unlike the misplaced notion that only wild and indecent girls are sexually molested, Barakat Bello is said to be quite decent, homely and pious. Her attackers left no chance for her survival as they had no restraint in using the machete with which they were armed in stariking her on the head and neck. Unlike Uwa who lost the battle for life at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Barakat died before help could reach her.
A new dimension was added in Ota, Ogun State, as a 35-year-old man has been apprehended by the police for using the cover of the dark to break into the room of a septuagenarian to overpower her while asleep and have carnal knowledge of her. Her struggles attracted a neighbour who knocked him off her with a plank. He has since confessed, blaming it on the influence of alcohol. In Niger State, it was an 85-year-old who was defiled by another young man.
The assailants, too, do not fit a single description. Some are single, others are married. Some are rich and educated, others are poor. Fathers, uncles, brothers are part of the narrative, as are traditional rulers and religious leaders. They do not come just as hemp-smoking criminals, but equally as suave, seemingly gentlemen who stand in loco parentis.
The recent attacks are an indication that the traditional institutions for socialisation have failed. After all, every child who passes through the family, schools, churches, mosques, is exposed to the mass media, all to instil in him social values.
Parents have to take more interest in raising the boy-child, letting him know that all are born equal. Sex education is very important for all children so that they may know their roles in society. Many male children have been led into believing that masculinity is defined by the conquest of girls and ladies. The correction must primarily come from the base – the family.
Religious institutions, too, must play their roles in teaching morals. Children are not money-making machines that many modern-day churches have turned them into. Unless this is done to complement and consolidate the roles of families, the society will continue to groan.
And, given the long-term sociological, psychological, moral and economic impact of rape on the victim, the government should enforce the laws and rules. The police are known to mock victims and prosecute cases casually, while the victims fear to report because of the stigma associated with it. Civil society should rev up its involvement in monitoring the cases and educating society. We have enough laws to fight the battle, but the justice system is failing society. The protest on social media canvassing “Justice for Uwaila” should be sustained until it yields result. It should be a turning point to clamp down on sexual assaults in the society.
