Gender advocate blames victims' long silence for raising rape cases
By Solomon Odeniyi
He noted that the society took the menace for granted by concealing rape incidences, adding that if the cases had been reported and prosecuted the scourge would not have become endemic .
Ademola , the Executive Director of Value Reorientation Community Enhancement who spoke in an exclusive interview with Osun defender also said bad policies from the government contributed to the spike in rape cases.
He also said the menace in the country had assumed another dimension , where assilants kill their victims after having carnal knowledge of them, a development he described as worrisome.
" Ever since the lady raped and killed in Edo state, we wake up to the news of new rape incidence. why are we having it bad at this period is because we took the issue of Rape for granted in our society till it becomes endemic, most people are covering up for rapist.
"Rape in the country has assumed another dimension, it is worrisome that the offenders don't just rape but they now kill their victims. The society long silent and cover up for rapist is one of the reasons. Another reasons are government bad policies, silent by the victims because of stigmatization by the victims' immediate society"
He called for the implementation of the Violence Against Person law, saying that it was one of the ways rape could be reduced to the barest minimum in the country.
" We have a law in place already that stipulate punitive punishment to sexual offenders in the country and has been domesticated by many states and you wonder why rape is still on the rise? Implementation is our problem in this country, even the enforcers of the law doesn't know the law exists. There must be public awareness of the law and implications bridging the law, law enforcement agents and policy makers must be well trained on the implementation of the law."
Ademola also advocated for aggressive reorientation and sensitisation for the male child at the formative stages of their lives on how to be able to handle sexual rejections and also not see the female folks as a sexual objects.
Advising the victims on how to deal with the trauma, he said, "A rape victim can deal with the trauma that come with falling victim of the scourge. Victim must quickly get help from psychologist (NGO) and must speak out about the their experiences."
Before the rape and murder Uwaila Omozuwa and Barrakat which many have come to condemn, Osun defender had reported a rape case involving a welder 27-year-old and a minor and that of a Monarch with his son defiled a in the state.
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