By May Etim
Another person that has expressed sadness over incessant rape cases in the country is the Director-General of Legal Aid Council, Mrs. Joy Bob-Mannuel. She spoke on access to justice for the poor project, which is a project to assist the poor.
Speaking in her personal capacity, Mrs. Joy Bob-Mannuel wants a society where discrimination against women, children, and people living with disabilities would be eradicated. Women are supposed to be highly respected because of their peculiar nature especially, she noted.
“In an ideal world, the best way to prevent a potential rape is to educate all men to respect and help women. It is good to first educate the men on how to respect and help women. If this is achieved, then there won’t be any form of sexual assault on females
again.
“We need a holistic approach to curb the menace. Let the government do its part, the judiciary, security agencies, religious leaders, traditional rulers, parents and even the children so that the world will be saver for us all”, Mrs. Bob-Mannuel added.
An Islamic scholar, Alhaji Abdulwahab Garba Naibi has also observed that Islam condemns rape especially that of the minors. According to him, Sharia stipulates that anybody caught in the act should be killed or sentenced to life, adding that increase in rape cases should be of concern to those in authority, whether as public office holders,
private or even religious leaders.
Alhaji Garba frowned at indecent dressing and the inability of some parents to correct their children or wards in dressing manner. He observed that some parents even buy clothes that expose parts of the body for their children especially the female ones, thereby exposing them to sexual assaults and other types of violence.
He, however, stressed that, even when a woman is not well dressed, or seen alone, or whatever, there is no justification to assault her or taken advantage of her loneliness to perpetrate any evil against her.
In the opinion of 21year old Ms. Gladys Ephraim, rape victims should be properly schooled on reporting their cases to family members, and by extension to the appropriate authorities, knowing that it will help to stop the perpetrator against the next person.
She encouraged parents and guardians to allow their female children to undergo Taekwondo or Kungfu training for self-defense whenever the need arises; adding that the notion that such trainings are for military personnel should be erased from their minds.
Ms. Ephraim added that what the society has turned into demands devising every means to be at alert because there is nobody to trust again. She, however, urged young girls like her to always inform their care givers of their movements; if possible every 10 minutes so that help can reach them whenever the need arises.
Etim is a 400L student of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri
