Rape is a hate crime
Our nation was,
last Tuesday, shocked by the alleged rape of a 23-year-old female
National Youth Service Corps member by a traditional ruler in Osun
State. The young woman, according to her petition to the police and the
management of the NYSC, got close to the king after she offered to
provide computer appreciation skills to some students in the town where
she is carrying out her national assignment.
The king reportedly took
her to one of his private houses in the state capital, after offering
to take her to her residence, and forced himself on her after
threatening to kill her if she didn’t yield to his demands. The police
and the management of the NYSC have launched an investigation into
this. But the king isn’t talking, yet. It is, therefore, hard to get
his rendition of the shoddy events that occurred between him and the
young woman.
Nevertheless, we feel strongly for this young woman and
salute her courage in coming out to narrate her experience. One of the
hardest things for survivors of rape to do — and a lacuna that rapists
always tend to rely on and exploit — is dealing with the shame that
could trail the confession of being violated. Women’s rights activists
and security officials have indeed been encouraging people — male and
female — who might have been violated, to come out and shame their
abusers. This is a good development and should be taken to heart,
especially in a conservative society such as ours.
The other thing
working for rapists is the difficulty in securing judgment by
survivors. The scale is tipped in favour of the defence in such
instances, partly because the bar is high. Unless she has a good lawyer
and well-prepared medical report, the youth corps member in this latest
episode might find it hard to get her alleged violator punished. It is
hard to get figures on the frequency of rape in our country, and that
is not because the rate is low.
Plus, she is up
against a traditional ruler and chances are that the local authority
might close in to protect the man. The fact that the police is yet to
announce its findings — assuming it has really questioned the king as
it claims it is doing — is a worrying sign. It is also possible that
officials of the state government are too busy to have noticed the news
— or are waiting for the police report before they move against the
king. But it will be hard to sweep this under the king’s crown.
Equally worrying
is the routine harassment of youth corps members. These young
graduates, devoting one year of their lives to the service of their
country, often find themselves adrift, neglected and sometimes abused
by the system that should be their protector. Several have been killed
and maimed in the course of the service. It is quite plausible to
expect that many more would have been subjected to bodily violations as
well — and rarely have any of their attackers been sanctioned by the
authorities.
The NYSC needs to do more to secure the lives and limbs of the young
men and women in its care. Mere platitudes, as is the practice when
corps members are assaulted, will no longer do. If the management of
the scheme needs stronger legislation, then they should make such a
case before the National Assembly. It is also evident that Nigeria
needs a more robust system of dealing with rapists. Law enforcement
agencies must be on board in the fight against this physical and
emotional defilement, and the National Assembly, when it is
reconstituted, needs to provide the nation with stronger legislation to
protect rape survivors. The next rape victim could be anyone’s male or
female ward or relative.
