Rising rape cases

Wife of the President Aisha Buhari at an event recently called on government at all levels to enforce the law on rape, to protect women and children in the country. Aisha made the call when she received some staff of the Ministry of Women Affairs, UNICEF, and the National Population Commission(NPC) led  by the Permanent […]

Wife of the President Aisha Buhari at an event recently called on government at all levels to enforce the law on rape, to protect women and children in the country.
Aisha made the call when she received some staff of the Ministry of Women Affairs, UNICEF, and the National Population Commission(NPC) led  by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Ezekiel Oyemomi. They were at her office to brief her on plans to launch action to end violence against children.
Mrs Aisha’s call couldn’t have come at a better time, especially when viewed against the backdrop of rising cases of rape in the society. Almost on a daily basis, newspapers are awash with stories of the abuse of children and minors.  It is true that rape in itself is not a new phenomenon in the society, however, it becomes very worrisome when victims are children and minors; people who can barely defend themselves. Most reported cases are disgusting just as they give a clear signal that something is very wrong with the society. Recently, there was a reported case of a man who had raped his 7-year-old daughter several times. It was gathered that each time he violated the girl, he gave her monetary reward of N10. The report added that when the matter was reported, policemen at Ojokoro Police Division dismissed the case as a family matter. They even threatened to arrest the victim’s mother who had reported the matter. The woman’s husband’s family also accused her of inciting the children against their father.
Another 10-year-old was raped by the pastor of her church during a deliverance service. And in Bauchi, a primary three pupil was raped by her teacher all these incidents in just one week. Now, this sort of behaviour must stop if the issue of rape is to be tackled. Initially, a lot of culprits went unpunished because victims were always too ashamed to tell people or report to appropriate authorities that they had been abused.  So, it is a good development that the issue is now being reported, though the figure is still a far cry from the actual number of  cases, because a lot of people are still worried about the stigma and condemnation that follows. However, of what use is that if those who commit this crime are left off the hook? How can policemen who are supposed to enforce law and order dismiss the rape of a 7-year-old by her father as “ a family matter?”.  Everyday NGOs advocate stringent rules against convicted rapists; some states even went ahead and made laws stating that the minimum penalty for rapists should be 14 years without an option of fine. As much as this is a good development, of what use is it if not properly implemented? It is not enough to make laws, no matter how stringent if they are not properly implemented. A lot of suspected rapists are arraigned on daily basis in court,but after a while, nothing is heard of them. Culprits must be adequately punished to serve as deterrent to others. Now, the Ministry of Women Affairs, UNICEF, and the National Population Commission (NPC) want to launch an action against abuse of children; what happened to all the plans launched in the past? What we need is effective implementation of policies and laws guiding children in the society. A data base should be set up for convicted rapists, so that they don’t go about repeating the crime.  Families must also understand that they have a huge role to play in tackling this problem. They must know that rapist cannot be shielded and children that have been abused should be allowed to talk about it so that they can seek help. Most of these children are forced to bottle up whatever is done to them, because of the need to protect “family name”. This silence option may serve the temporary purpose but most of these children are damaged for life.  It is indeed very sad that the family which is supposed to protect the children forms part of the problem because of failure to do the right thing. Cases of incest are on the increase, with many reported cases of fathers abusing their under-aged children.
Mothers must therefore rise to their duties by protecting their children from such fathers. They should be very vigilant and report any untoward behaviour they notice. Mothers should stop sending their little children on errands late in the night to certain secluded areas. And for children that are up to the age of 10 and above, it is important that they are given lessons on why it is important to be careful around the opposite sex. Religious leaders should also step in and include matters like this in their sermons.  We are not unaware of the fact that some religious leaders have been implicated in this issue. Recently, a pastor was reported to have raped a 10-year -old girl during a deliverance session. It is most condemnable as clerics are supposed to be and act as conscience of the society.
Such behaviour amounts to abuse of office and must be stopped forthwith. There is a need for revival of the norms and culture and all hands must be on deck to ensure that the society is rid of this monster.