By Debo Popoola
When a grown up lady is raped or sexually molested, she shares the blame with her victimiser; and in some cases, victimisers. Questions such as: why did you go to his house alone? Why did you wear a revealing cloth? Why didn’t you shout very loud? and so on are thrown to this grown up victim; such is the case in our society.
We live in a patriarchal society where the female folks are the minority regardless of their huge population. And when such rape cases are reported, there is a huge tendency of leniency towards the rapist who is always a man. He is seen as a weakling who could not control his libido, and the victim is blamed for activating the weak libido with what she was wearing when the rape happened and so many flimsy and biased defence are moulded for the man.
In order to escape the castigation and the stigma the society will vested on them, most grown up ladies who have been raped before shamefully hide under their shell, bearing and nursing the psychological injury and suffering alone. They believe it is better to be an unknown victim of rape than for them going to the open to report what had happened to them where every eye will cast puncturing shameful look at them
Recently, rape cases involving grown up men and underage girls have become a daily headline in our dailies. This barbaric trend has permeated through our society and it beg for rapid action from the government and the citizens, especially parents.
As is it now, a day old baby, as long as she is a girl, is a potential victim of defilement. The decadence now is no respecter of age, in fact, the minors, who will not give any resistance and can be easily subdued are now seen as easy preys by these devilishly hedonic men.
If the society will always blame a grown up lady who is a victim of rape for what she was wearing when the rape happened, what blame then is to be apportioned to a young, innocent female kids of age 2 to 10 who have recently been raped? Will the society still blame them for going about their playful ways before being spotted by these sons of the devil?
The increasing rate of rape and defilement of under age girls can be attributed basically to social decadence and nonchalant attitude of some parents. The recent economic crisis in the nation has forced many parents to pursue wealth at the detriment of proper care of their children and they are exposed to strangers who capitalise on the situation to take advantage of these little children’s naivety.
Parents and the government have a lot to do in order to put a lasting end to this unscrupulous act ravaging the sanity out of our society. Ours used to be a society where morality is placed above all other things, but it seems morality has been exchanged for personal gains and self fulfilment.
Every parent must assume an eagle eye on their children, irrespective of their gender- there are also cases of under age boys being raped too. Every parent must come to this hard reality and truth that a child is no more secure even in the hands of some the close relatives because most under age rape cases were perpetuated by close relatives of these children.
On the part of the government, stringent measures must be melted on those involved in this dastardly act as it will serve as deterrent to others. Strong enforcement of laws against rape should be ensured.
Lastly, the society should not only disapprove such act by only paying lip service to it, the society should expose anyone who is guilty of rape and the stigma that has always been vested on the victim should be directed on the defaulter instead.
