Do you know that recent statistics show that In Nigeria today, one in four girls by the time she reaches 18 would have experienced at least one form of sexual assault? We are over 160 million and half of the population are women, and half of the women are under the age of 24, that’s 10,000 girls everyday that are survivors of this horrific crime. Which means somewhere right now as you read this post; there’s a young girl being abused by a man, usually someone she knows or is related to.
Also statistics show that one in eight boys experience some form of sexual abuse usually at a younger age than girls by maids, teachers, relatives and neighbours.
This on its own is a menace and should be stopped, it is unacceptable, what’s even more unacceptable is that given these statistics, rape culture still exists. Rape culture is a culture that teaches boys and girls that rape is “normal” because of the way society views gender and sexuality. We have been taught to avoid rapists; they say DON’T GET RAPED, this singular teaching has built a foundation of normalizing rape. Nowhere in all my years, have I ever heard a teaching targeted at rapists, yes they are threatened with jail time and what not, but do we ever stop and actually teach our young boys the same way we teach our girls that RAPE IS BAD!
Nowadays, when a woman is raped; no-one bothers to ask “how are you feeling”, instead they jump on a bandwagon that asks stupid questions such as “why did you go to his house”, “what were you wearing”, “you must have led him on”. Stop this today if you are one of these people, rape victims already go through enough hurt as is, You either ask questions or say things that encourage them or be quiet. The mental damage experienced by a victim can lessen if you show them love. Stop victim blaming.
Where did we even learn the faux fact that the way a person dresses can cause rape? Victims don’t cause rape, RAPISTS JUST RAPE!
In Nigeria, if you experience or witness sexual or domestic violence, please call this number immediately 08137960048 or dial *6820#, it belongs to @dsvrt DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE RESPONSE TEAM. They will guide you on the necessary steps to take.
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