RAPE IS AN EVIL ACT (by TMINDY)

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Arising Our Consciousness Against Rape

Recently, there are more cases of rape cases in the newspaper and around us. The number of rape cases that are always reported to the police per week is losing counts, and the question that comes to one's heart is that; "Is there an increase in the rate of rapes?" The answer to this question is not an affirmative yes because rape did exist in the past; however, there is little awareness or campaign against it. Moreover, the increase in the rate of rape stories in our dailies is because few years back, rape victims and their families counted it as shameful thing to report that their child was raped. But due to enlightenment nowadays, the orientation about reporting rape has changed.

It should be noted that rape is more than male-on-female rape alone, we have female-on-female rape, male-on-male rape and female-on-male rape. Nevertheless, this article will be more focussed on male-on-female rape.

Rape is an evil act

Rape can be defined as a non-consensual sexual intercourse. According to provision of S.357 of criminal code (CC), rape is when "a person has unlawful carnal knowledge of a woman or girl, without her consent, if the consent is obtained by force or by means of threat or intimidation of any kind, or by fear of harm, or by means of false and fraudulent misrepresentation as to the nature of the act, or in the case of a married woman, by personating her husband". The "unlawful carnal knowledge" here means sexual intercourse.

The Penal Code Federal Prohibition Acts meant for the Northern states also define rape in the Section 282 of the Penal Codes in a similar manner.

In 2015, the National Assembly of Nigeria, headed then by Senator David Mark, passed a bill that states life imprisonment for rapists and those who have sexual intercourse with children under 11 years.

Apart from the Nigerian government, the two dominating religions in Nigeria - Christianity and Islam - are against this evil act called rape. According to the Holy Bible, if anyone commits rape, he must pay the dowry for the woman and must marry her. In Islam, rape is counted as an extreme crime and capital punishment must be melted to the rapists according to a Sunni hadith.

The effects of rape on the victim

According to researches, rape causes physical and psychological traumas to victims. Sometimes, rape victims commit suicide because of the trauma they are passing through. Below are physical and psychological effects of rape on victims;

1. It can cause vaginal or anal bleeding or infection.

2. It can lead to hypoactive sexual desire disorder.

3. It can cause dyspareunia (painful sexual intercourse).

4. It also causes vaginismus – a condition affecting a woman's ability to engage in any form of vaginal penetration.

5. It can result to vaginitis or vaginal inflammation.

6. Rape can cause chronic pelvic pain to the victim.

7. It can cause urinary tract infections.

8. It can bring about unwanted pregnancy.

9. The victim can be infected with HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases if the rapist is infected.

10. Rape can cause victims to lack motivation to seek care from others.

11. It can turn the victim to an aggressive person

12. It can make the victim to lack empathy.

13. It can lead to isolation, cutting themselves off from other people.

14. It causes anger.

It is high time we started to create an awareness against this evil called rape. And with various campaigns and awarenesses against rape, we can reduce the rate of rape in our society and also make our society a safer place to live for ourselves and children. Together we can stop this evil act, let us be united to say NO to rape!