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RAPE

posted on Friday, March 16, 2007 01:34 PM

Here is an excerpt from Folorunsho Moshood’s Hope For PLP

The piece of paper handed over to her by the Counsellor would change her forever since HIV has no cure yet. She has just been tested positive. She cried profusely as she narrated her ordeal in the hands of rapists:

‘It took place at Uromi junction. On one Saturday evening, I was returning from my uncle’s place around 7:30 pm. The gang had been following me right from there but I did not notice. I was rounded up behind one uncompleted building at Uromi junction. Naughty Anni, yes, that is his name, the mastermind brought out a small sharp knife and used it to fondle my neck for a while. I was scared to the marrow. He said he would kill me with the knife if I shouted or cried. I was led inside the building where I….I…. was ordered to undress. By this time, others had brought out their identical knives. Anni only supervised them. I did not know when their hands came all over my naked body because I was practically dead. My soul had temporarily left me. The feel from the first rapist brought me back to life, I screamed and Anni who had found joy in my pains immediately stuffed my mouth with two handkerchiefs. Had I known this would be the result, I would have resisted them or at least put up a fight and damned the consequences’.

While consoling her, the Counsellor calmly said to her, ‘no, you should have told them that you’ve just done your HIV test and that the result will soon be out. That would have scared them’.

Hmm! In this ‘sexually civilized’ world, especially in the developing countries, rape has suddenly become the commonest crime, but the least litigated case in the courts of law because the victims, mostly females, always fail to report to the authority as a result of pride.

Culprits are mostly males; fathers, uncles, sugar daddies, boy friends, male teachers/lecturers and even husbands. It is always perpetrated by the person that the victims knew very well. Unfortunately, the victims suffer in silence because of the stigma associated with it. Men should stop using their manliness as an object of terror or a weapon of mass destruction. Women should not be treated as a mere object of sexual desire.

The effects of rape as you all know are but not limited to: Reproductive complications such as chronic pelvic pain, unwanted pregnancy, miscarriages, low birth weight and sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhoea, syphilis and of course HIV/AIDS.

What about physical and psychological problems, which include bodily injury, trauma, depression, suicide and death. Please if you find yourself to be a victim of rape in future, report the case immediately to the appropriate authority and see a doctor afterwards.

Please, please and please, don’t change your clothes and don’t clean up when you are going to report for you to have evidence to prove your case. This ugly trend must stop.

Comments

Tommy Hutchinson

Thursday, April 19, 2007 10:12 AM

This is an incredible and depressing story. Rape is too often being used to oppress others around the world. I hope members can share their experiences and expertise on how best to support victims and help stop this outrage.

Helen K

Monday, April 30, 2007 03:50 PM

What a story! Unfortunately its happens way too often all over Africa. Its almost like some men do not get the concept that rape is wrong and evil. Having said that, its really good that you are speaking out against rape- so thank you Moshood. I am from Uganda originally and we have similar stories all the time. Once when I was on a public taxi, a very respectable looking gentleman was sitting next to me reading a similar story in a newspaper. Imagine my shock when he made a comment afterwords saying, “I am sure she was asking for it, all women are the same- saying no when they actually mean yes!”. With so many people having this kind of attitude, its really hard for women to come forward when they have been raped. This man could have been anyone, a police man, a lawyer, who knows; with people like him is responsible positions how can justice be served for the victims. Also many rape victims are under 16 years old, and in most cases its a member of their own family doing the abusing. One of my friends, who has been raped told me that she was stopped by her mother from going to the police because they could not see what good it would archive, her mother felt that it would make life even harder for my friend once the whole village know about it. My friend has also said that if she could turn the clock back, she would go to the police. So am not saying that women should not come forward, only that I appreciate how difficult it is for them to do so and I have huge respect for anyone who does come forward. But unless we listen to Moshood and start reporting rape, then things are never going to change! We need to be brave and speak out, hopefully this will also help in teaching our children from an early age that rape is wrong.

Sanjay Kumar

Monday, October 15, 2007 09:50 PM

This is a very important issue. Rape is increasingly being used as an instrument of war and terror.