For the past year, rape has disturbed and engrossed our beloved country (Nigeria). Several rape cases are being recorded annually and the fact that legal actions are not taken against the perpetrators of such gruesome and heinous crime is disappointing.
There are several cases of rape which have led to the death of many female teenagers. Some are underaged who are below the age of puberty and haven’t reached maturity.
However, rapists do not deserve pity or sympathy, rather wrath and fury.
In no way should a person who commits an illegal sexual act deserve our sympathy because they are destroying the future of the victims.
The rape culture often increases the gravity of gender-based violence and excuses sexual harassment and abuse. The belief that ‘boys will always be boys’ should be denounced and abandoned, simply because the boys would engage in rape thinking that they wouldn’t be prosecuted based on the aforementioned belief.
In order to end gender-based violence and rape culture, we must hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.
Rapists need to be punished because their ungodly behaviour is a crime against humanity. Their negative attitude exposes victims to danger, especially, sexually-related diseases, such as papillomavirus, genital herpes, e.t.c.
The effects of rape include both the initial physical trauma as well as the deep psychological trauma of the victim. Although rape victims commonly report injuries and issues with their reproductive system after the sexual assault, rape doesn’t always involve physical effects.
The most common and lasting effects of rape are usually psychologically related and it also diminishes social confidence.
In a nutshell, I would like to give my piece of advice to my compatriots—that whosoever is guilty of rape should be prosecuted and exposed to the general public.
Yhe fear of being caught and stigmatised would help greatly in reducing the high rate of rape cases in society.
Abubakar Sadiq Maina, Department of Mass Communication, Borno State University,Maiduguri, Borno state
