Violence Against Women
Today, Nigerians in Abia, Abuja and Lagos will engage in a walk to protest against the non-deliverance of justice to ABSU 5 who committed the heinous gang-rape of a young woman and the general university policy on sexual violence. On August 16, 2011, at Abia State University (ABSU), a woman whose age is between 16 and 22 was gang-raped by five men.
The men made a video recording of the crime and then proceeded to distribute the footage. As the rape took place, the victim repeatedly pleaded with her attackers, tried to get away and asked them to kill her rather than subject her to such a macabre nightmare. The rapists laughed at her, taunted her, and insulted her before raping her repeatedly one after another. The first thing that came to my mind when I heard of this tape was the welfare of the girl; then I became shocked at the complacency of the rapists on the issue of HIV, because if any one of them was a carrier of HIV, then the rest might be as well.
Since the release of this ghastly rape footage, several women's organizations and human rights groups have criticised the attitude of the police, ABSU vice-chancellor Professor Chibuzo Ogbuagu and the university authorities as an outrage to the woman's liberty against violence and the fight against HIV/AIDS. They express sadness that the way the matter is being handled is an additional reinforcement of the stereotype given to women in rape cases; that when a woman accuses a man of rape, she is made out to be the guilty one. They accuse the Abia state governor, Mr Theodore Orji, of being led by bias, politics and chauvinism in his initial denial that the assault hadn't taken place. Their arguments are based on the fact that there was an insistence that the assault did not occur, notwithstanding the fact that the authorities had not carried out an investigation, and ignoring the fact that there was actual visual evidence of the assault.
The initial reaction of the authorities in the ABSU 5 gang-rape case and the apparent indifference to the plight of that poor girl reveals the problem of HIV awareness and the treatment of rape complainants in Nigeria generally. It is a fact that, in every state, rape cases are hampered with social and political complexities. A woman who has suffered from the offence of rape is expected to suffer in silence in order to save face and maintain respectability, while the rapist gets off scot-free to abuse another victim who in turn is also expected to suffer in silence. This is unacceptable.
Sexual violence against women is very much a big threat to women in Nigeria, especially since more women now have the freedom of movement and integration. But despite the high rate of rape in Nigeria, no considerable internal publicity about the rate of the offence is done because the topic is considered such a taboo in our societies, from the point of view of the woman. And the effect of the lack of sensitisation is tragic because the ultimate victims of the crime are left decimated.
The dangers and effect of rape are a reality that must not be ignored or swept under the carpet because of shame.
Any society that has a high rate of AIDS as well as a high rate of rape such as Nigeria is likely to have a higher rate of rape-related AIDS. Hence, the very high rates of rape will undoubtedly contribute to the severity of the AIDS epidemic.
Culture is dynamic and subject to the interpretations of those with power. And realistically within the spectrum of gender, the male is the power force. The effect of this is the patriarchal context at which issues such as rape are viewed by society, government and courts. An example includes the legislative and policy framework which reflect institutionalized gender oppression such as the definition given to rape. The current definition of rape in Nigeria places a high burden of proof on a rape victim. In most rape cases in Nigeria, the woman's evidence of rape needs corroboration. In the Supreme Court, it was held that a woman who complains of being raped is not an accomplice, but her evidence must be treated along the same line as the evidence of an accomplice.
There must also be independent evidence and an investigation to show the crime was committed and that the crime could reasonably be connected to the accused. This takes time, is tedious and generally discourages women from prosecuting rape. The law in effect becomes a tool for relentless cross-examination and secondary victimization by defence lawyers. Women are routinely characterized as being mentally unstable, loose or of questionable morality during the course of rape trials. This translates as a sort of secondary victimisation, and women fear experiencing a further round of victimization particularly during cross-examination.
Our society and state presently lack the ability to protect sexually abused women as conviction of rape is very rare in court and it is even quite common to hear of cases where the law enforcement officials themselves have abused the women who report sexual abuse. This adds to discourage women from reporting incidence of rape to the authorities.
Rape is an innately serious crime that needs a heavy clampdown by our governments, courts, legislature and other authorities. Women, throughout this country, have suffered violent crimes committed by men they know, men in powerful positions and in communities. Women's rights are human rights and should not be violated under any circumstance, political or cultural. We must expunge entrenched attitudes on issues of rape and HIV/AIDS. At this point, the police, ABSU vice-chancellor Ogbuagu, the university authorities and Abia governor Orji should hold their heads down in shame for their initial apathy to this terrible crime. Once the footage of the rape was available, the likelihood of tracing the rapists was always possible by tracing the girl whose face had clearly appeared on the recording, gathering suspects and even using voice recognition technology to identify them.
As I write this piece, I urge anyone that may read this and has any information regarding the five men from Abia State University only identified as Uchenna, Wisdom, Zaki, Chisom, Ifeanyi/ Ugbaanyi to come forward to the authorities and expose them. When a woman is raped, she loses a part of her life; when a society conceals rape, it loses a part of its soul.
In my view, the rape of a woman translates into the rape of male accountability and the breach of authentic moral renaissance in a nation. The breach includes trust in communities, trust in the system, trust in men who believe consent is implied by a woman flashing a smile at them or wearing a skirt. Coming out of this disgraceful incidence of gang rape and many recently reported cases of rape, what must remain as a legacy for Nigerians are the implications of the trial with regards to women's rights and violence against women. Rape must not be condoned; it is the vilest of the vilest of crimes. We must as a society protect all women from this most heinous sin.
As concerned Nigerians at home and abroad march today for the right of the Nigerian woman, for the ABSU 5" to be brought to justice and for an improvement in state law and university policy on sexual violence, I use my pen and my paper to march with them. Because, no matter the circumstances, despite the situation, every Nigerian woman has a right to say a 'no' that means 'no'.