Taming the rape scourge in Nigeria: issues and actions

Abstract

All through the passage of time women have always been perceived as the weaker vessel, and so have been subjugated and oppressed by culture in most African societies. The culture is defined by inequality and the subjugation of the female folk. Gender-based violence, including rape, domestic violence and other sexual abuses, has assumed serious dimensions globally. In Nigeria, incidences of rape are fast assuming a threatening dimension that requires urgent intervention. Rape, like other forms of violence against women, is an infringement on women’s rights, privacy, self-preservation and dignity. Available data in the print and electronic media reveal that rape issue has become a serious social problem of epidemic proportion and no longer an isolated criminal act affecting just a few women in the society. In recent times the incidences of rape have increased at an alarming rate in Africa and also in Nigeria. There is little or no policy or law that helps protect the victims as they are blamed, stigmatized and humiliated by the public if it is brought to the public domain. This paper interrogates the dynamics, socio-psychological, institutional, socioeconomic and cultural factors accentuating cases of rape on both the victims and the perpetrators of this heinous criminal act. The paper concludes with recommendations on ways and means of tackling this social menace.

Keywords: Rape, Epidemic, Taming, Violence, Women rights