Rape, that horrible act, has refused to leave our courtrooms, despite harsh sentences on convicts. Reporter, MARY OGEDENGBE, writes on an organisation’s effort to educate both genders on the danger of the act.
In 2013, Nigeria recorded about 207 rape cases, out of which Lagos State was credited with 132 and Edo with 80. There are also verified cases in other states. Most of the rape victims were between ages 12 and 17.
Activists, nonetheless, believe that these figures are way higher because Nigeria is one of many countries where rape is the most seldom reported crime. May be due to the stigma always poured on the victim.
According to Wikipedia, rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse (or other forms of sexual penetration) initiated against one or more individuals without the consent of those individuals. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or against a person who is incapable of valid consent, such as one who is unconscious, incapacitated, or below the legal age of consent. The term rape is sometimes used interchangeably with the term sexual assault.
Rape in Nigeria today is on the increase, and what propels the rapists to continually commit the crime cannot be fathomed. American clinical psychologist, David Lisak, however, has a theory on this. It is his belief that rapists are measurably angrier at women and more motivated by a desire to dominate and control them. They also are more impulsive, disinhibited, anti-social and hyper-masculine, and less empathic.
Notwithstanding, excuses cannot be made for criminals and dangerous ones like rapists.
In 2013, the House of Representatives approved life imprisonment for any person convicted of rape. This part of the law is most likely forgotten, as most rapists become emboldened by the day as is the case of 24-year-old Ugochukwu Agudosi – an alleged serial rapist.
On September 24, 2014, Agudosi, a two-time offender with no conviction yet, was caught allegedly attempting to rape a young lady in his car. Prior to this incident, there were reports that, in his secondary school days, Agudosi raped one of his seniors. And while he was at the Caleb University, Lagos, he allegedly raped an undergraduate female student of the school which led to his expulsion and subsequent arraignment before an Ikeja Magistrate Court, Lagos.
This begs the question of how and why Agudosi is yet to be prosecuted for his deeds. Although at the moment, he is being reprimanded at the Kirikiri police station, Lagos. There have been cases where victims withdraw the case because of the shame they go through and the poor response of people they seek justice from.
Executive Director of Project Alert on Violence Against Women, Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, told TheNiche: “It is more of fear of what the public will say. If such a thing happens in your own family, what kind of support would you give her? So, it is the poor and insensitive response by the public, to a large extent, that makes victims stay on. We go ahead to further blame the victim because the primary victimisation is the primary act itself which is the rape or the abuse. The secondary victimisation is the blame you and I give the person.
“If you have been attacked and you go to the police for justice, and their response is not in line with what you expected, you would not go there the second time. So you see how important the role of response is, even from the family level. So we need to understand why victims do not speak out; it is the response and the insensitivity. And if we can address those, then we can encourage more people to speak out.”
For an alleged serial rapist like Agudosi, this should not prevent the state from prosecuting the case, if the victim(s) choose to withdraw it. His freedom means putting the lives of so many women out there in danger. Although, he is reportedly a two-time offender, there is every possibility that he had committed the crime more times than recorded.
Effah-Chukwuma suggests also that the family, schools and the nation at large have a role to play. She points out that instilling the right values and attitude is highly important. Her organisation, as a body, engages in educating the young ones on abuse.
“We believe that young people need to know from an early age that violence against women and young girls is not cool. Through the schools-based advocacy project, we go into schools and talk to young people – girls; how they can, for instance, reduce their risk of being sexually abused; the things they should and should not do.
“We talk to boys on why they should be interested; they should remember that their mother is a woman, that some of them have sisters, and that one day they will be fathers to daughters. We advise them not to do to somebody else what they would not want someone else to do to their female relations. We are not just targeting girls; we are talking to boys too,” she says.
All efforts to get the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Kenneth Nwosu, who just assumed office, to comment on the case proved abortive as at press time.
TheNiche gathered that Agudosi will appear before the Court, again, on November 19.
