RAPE SHOULD NOT BE TRIVIALIZED

May 02, 2017 Editorial, Features / Columnists

Technological advancement has enabled us to converse with people in distant places while looking at their faces on small screens. We can travel by land, sea or air rapidly and with ease, and we have been able to eradicate or control many dreadful diseases. Unfortunately, because of the persistence of archaic views in the country by men, we have not evolved enough regarding the seriousness of rape.
Rapists continue to make their obnoxious presence felt all over the country due to inadequate laws or the poor execution of them. Recently, a pastor—a man of the cloth—was found guilty and sentenced to 18 years in prison for the rape of a six-year-old girl. It is sad to know that the child had to confide in a relative before the pastor was arrested because her mother had initially disbelieved her. As if this was not painful enough, the actions of the pastor fractured the most precious relationship—a relationship between a mother and her daughter. And to add insult to injury, the family of the child was accused by relatives of the pastor of bringing the church into disrepute.
There are untold stories of women being raped by prominent public figures, including politicians, businessmen and entertainers, representing institutions of power and authority in society, but many have not been prosecuted because of their status. However, for there to be change, the public must be educated on how rape affects women and girls, and to understand that it has the potential to destroy their physical, mental and social well-being. Rape is deleterious to a person’s health, and can rob survivors of living happy lives. It should not be trivialized.
Males must be taught that sex is an option for females and that they have a right to say no. They must be taught to respect women and girls, and focus more on how to build and maintain solid relationships with the opposite sex and less on the act of sex. Men should realize that they can be raped too, regardless of what any law might say. The word rape has Middle English, Anglo-French and Latin roots. It means to seize, take by force or plunder, but we must insist that a woman’s private parts should not be involved.
Any way one looks at it, rape is a dastardly act that must be taken as seriously as deadly diseases such as cancer, heart attacks and HIV, among others. It is both a national and global issue.
A zero-tolerance approach must be adopted against rapists. The atmosphere of impunity on matters involving gender-based violence and rape are evidence of a failing system. People must break the silence and report perpetrators without hesitation. The reckless handling of rape cases by state actors clearly demonstrates that the government needs to assertively address the broken system that perpetuates sexual violence against women and girls. It seems that the trivialization of rape is ingrained in our culture. Many are convinced that the justice system is not adequately equipped with the resources and manpower to deal harshly enough with rapists.
It is time for the police, jurists, the legal fraternity and the government to demonstrate that they care about justice for women and girls who are raped. They cannot continue to operate in a system that is unkind and indifferent to rape victims. Our jurists and officers of the law need to be sensitized on understanding the seriousness of rape, sexual violence and abuse against women. Some women groups opine that the system has been complicit in trivializing violence against women and girls.
We need to hold politicians and other state actors more accountable. And we need to ensure that we create a safe and just society for our women and our daughters. Rape should not be trivialized, period.

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