All over the news lately, there has been a call for justice for the alleged raping and killing of two young ladies; one of them a freshman student of the University of Benin, and the other, a student of the Federal College of Animal health and production (FCAHPT), Ibadan.
The rise in the rape incidence so far, has sparked a rage of outbursts, and the question on the lips of every female Nigerian is; Are We Safe? Certainly, these are trying times in the country, and such a hard time to be a female living in the country.
Asides the rape incidence, there was also another report of the death of a teenage girl; Tina, who was shot by a trigger happy officer, in Lagos, and it appears that the spotlight has been shifted to the female species as they also undergo a sort of extinction in regards.
Why Rape?
Why should a lady be forced to get intimate with a total stranger, regardless of her defiance to carry out the deed? Some have argued that dressing has played a huge role in aiding and abetting this dastardly act.
However, there is no truth in this speculation as Barakat Bello, the 100 level student of FCAHPT was raped and killed in her home, and this also includes the fact that she was a hijabi sister.
It is also arguably so in the north, where a large number of ladies are Muslims and are obliged to be covered up in Hijab, and some of the extreme measures include being covered up from head to toe and have even been given side names like “Eleha” in the western parts.
Regardless of such stringent laws on dressings, there is still a notable amount of rape cases being recorded in those parts and the worst part, is many are swept under the carpet, due to sentimental reasons, and of course stigmatization.
There is absolutely no reason on earth that can be granted as an excuse for a man to forcefully get intimate with a lady against her own will. This is because there a lot of express rides men are granted to fulfil their lustful desires without going violent against an innocent lady.
A New Dawn
Thankfully, society has evolved from the time when ladies were being stigmatized and blamed for their own rape, to the victims even calling out the perpetrators of such evils on social media. Sadly, the majority of these noble causes only end on the other side of the keypad.
Nigeria as a country is not ready for the next level that would involve everyone being active on each case. The only time individuals tend to take serious action is when the pendulum swings and they are affected, in the form of the rape of a sister, aunt, friend or even mother.
Eradicating rape boils down to the smallest family system. Training the boys, who are potential men and letting them know that getting intimate with a lady against her will is terrible and punishable by all measures. Teaching them to not only respect their mothers, but also their sisters, friends, cousins, and even teachers are steps in the right direction and of course the birth of the much-desired change.
Comments 2