Looking for Light in the Tunnel:Getting Justice For Sexual Violence victims in Nigeria

In a country that gained independence nearly 50 years ago,
half of those years by democratic governance, is suppose to be making significant strides in diplomacy, women are still being raped, of their bodies and of their rights. Yes! Nigeria
is developing in industry, science and technology, entrepreneurship, banking and
finance. Even in the educational and agricultural sectors, though still below
expectation, the country has recorded some achievements. When put on a
performance scale on issues of security and justice for its people, my
beloved country has not only performed below expectations, it has also failed
its people seriously.
I remember with nostalgia those days when we were in
primary school. At every anniversary of Nigerian independence day, we as
school children received gifts. We would gather in each local council
headquarter to wine and dine and give great ovation to our dear country.Great was our hope, expectations and aspiration for the nation. In those days
girls and women could go out at anytime of the day, visit their neighbours and friends, and even spend the night with them without fear of being
molested or abused. As a mother you could leave your girl child with your
neighbours and travel out of town without fear of the girl being abused. The
situation was not too different as we progressed to higher institutions of
learning.
The youths then enjoyed lots of goodies until mid-1980s when
Nigerians experienced a downturn all of a sudden. The experience then was
like sleeping in the White House to suddenly wake up in a ghetto. Since then,
the situation has not been the same. The rate of poverty has become so high,
and people have become so frustrated and conscious of poverty. Violence,
bribery and corruption have become the order of the day, and patriotism and
brotherhood have been thrown into the dustbin.
Since the inception of the current democratic experiment with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as executive
president, some degree of normalcy has started to settle into Nigerian
society with the exception of sexual violence, which still abounds. The
reasons for this are not far fetched. The level of poverty, bribery and
corruption are the major reason why rapists are not often brought to arrest,
despite the fact that cases of sexual violence against women are reported
almost everyday.
As a guidance counselor in a secondary school, I listened to
a 13 year-old girl declare her intention to end her life because she was fed
up. She told me of a cousin living with her family, who had been violating
her sexually since she was eight years old. The cousin threatened that she
would die if she revealed the secret. While we were admitting a new girl to
the secondary school in 2005, she revealed that a neighbour had pretended to
send her on an errand, and forced her to have sex with him, which resulted in
her pregnancy. The stories go on.
When I joined the university, a student visited a friend in the male hostel, who raped her, and then dared her to
shout out and carry the stigma around throughout her stay on campus. What do
you say to girl, who was coming from class after reading, only to be accosted
by some boys on her way to the hostel and raped? Or the one that was coming
from town to campus in the night carried by a bike and was raped by the bike
rider? There are countless number of house servants who are used as an
alternative when the wife of the master of the house is not around; the
countless number of girl students being sexually abused by their teachers and
are coerced into keeping it a secret.
We have to STOP women abusers in this country so that we will not jeopardize the future of our nation, as we all know that women are the heart of every nation. Thank God for organizations
like Women Against Rape, Sexual Harassment and Sexual Exploitation (WARSHE).
They handle many cases of sexual violence for many victims who are socially,
culturally, and economically disadvantaged and may not be able to afford
taking up personal cases themselves, even if they desire to, because of
poverty and social status. With the educational and enlightenment campaigns
embarked upon by these organizations, people are now becoming emboldened to
declare cases of sexual abuse. The most challenging aspects of the work of
these organizations are the difficulties that are often encountered in
securing justice for girls and women who have survived sexual violence and
abuse.
At WARSHE, the coordinator cited instances of frustrating encounters
with persons in the administration of justice, medical doctors, police
officers, magistrates, and even judges. To address this issue, a workshop was
convened by WARSHE in 2004 on the search for justice with financial support
of African Women Development Fund (AWDF). The participants were drawn from
various strata of society, including medical practitioners, lawyers,
magistrates, prosecutors, police detectives, teachers, social workers,
students, media practitioners, NGOs, etc. At the end of the workshop, a
report was issued with the defining roles of all the stakeholders in seeking
justice clearly stated. The prosecutors, court, legal practitioners and
medical personnel. Also a paper was presented by Barrister Olasupo
Ojo,president of the Center for Rule of Law at another workshop organized by
WARSHE in 2006 for Police Investigators and Prosecutors under Osun State
command. He said “For reasons that are undergoing continuous investigation,
it is becoming more and more difficult to secure conviction in cases of
sexual violence especially rape cases. \"Sexual offences under the criminal
justice system in Nigeria is administered by public institutions. Each public
institution is administered by human beings with their peculiar
idiosyncrasies as determined by their background, social orientations and
cultural beliefs which ultimately influence the performance of their
functions as public officers either positively or negatively depending on
individual circumstances.” He went further to say that once there is a
report of sexual violence, the normal thing is there must be no delay, the
investigation must commence immediately because of the peculiar nature of the
offence and evidence required to prove it. This can only be achieved when the
investigation is handled by policemen that are mature, humane and have
overcome societal stereotypes by virtue of formal or informal education.
After the workshop, the participants made several appeals to the government,
police and others concerned with the matter. When asked why it is difficult
to get justice for victims of sexual violence, Barrister Jide Obisakin,
Director of the Osun State Ministry of Justice said, \"Delay in our judicial
system makes it difficult procedurally, to dispatch criminal cases on time.
(In addition), the inability of victims to pursue their cases to a logical
conclusion because of the stigma is also a contributing factor.\" Also Dr. Uwemedimbuk Ekanem, a consultant
of Community Health in University Of Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State said, \"In my
experience, most of those accused of sexual violence are intimate with the
victims. African women are taught to be subservient to their men. As such,
even women similar to her would be blaming her if she is bent on getting
justice.\" \"A girl was presented to me at our HIV clinic was raped by her
lecturer when she went to submit an assignment. After given her the necessary
medical care, I asked if she would want the man to be prosecuted, she said
'NO' that her pastor and his wife have advised her to forgive the 'Idiot'
lecturer. I was prepared to testify in court the findings of my
physical/clinical examination which would have pinned down the BEAST called
lecturer.\"
It will help tremendously if the international community would
impress upon the government of Nigeria: to enforce existing laws against
sexual harassment and abuse, to educate the police, and to take an active
role in sponsoring workshops organized by WARSHE and others. This action
could be targeted towards local government offices throughout the nation. A
bureau could be established by government that will be backed by appropriate
legislations to focus on handling reported cases of sexual violence and
getting justice for the victims. Great hope will be engendered by the time
attention is focused on the issue, and all are ready to do something positive
about it.
There is also the need for a place where women can gather to
discuss and present a common front to agitate for their rights from
government in order to confront the menace of sexual violence. Women
Inspiration Center (WIC) will have recreational facilities and cybercafé for
women; a place for continuing education for girls who dropped out of school
due to poverty or unwanted pregnancy; a place for those who don’t want to
further their education but want learn a vocation; a place where an abused
girl or woman could run to for safety; and a place where we will also have a
magazine that will be publishing issues that affect women. By the time, the
noise is so loud from all sides, the government will have to stop playing the
ostrich and pay attention to enforcing existing laws that make acts of sexual
violence against women a criminal act.
Meanwhile, before the realization of the Women Inspiration Center, we need your support and backing all over the world to put a stop to the menaces of sexual violence by supporting our
crusade OPERATION STOP SEXUAL VIOLENCE and ABUSE. All women are vulnerable to
sexual violence and abuse in Nigeria. We will not fold our hands and allow
this to continue. We know our destiny lies in our hands, and so a team of
women, myself as the coordinator, has decided to embark on Aggressive
Campaign on Sexual Violence and Abuse. We will be going from village to
village, town to town, and city to city to call upon local governments to
take a closer look at the issues of sexual violence; the police to live up to
their responsibility to the law; the medical workers to be prompt, thorough
and non-judgmental in examining victims and give detail results; educating
women on how to protect themselves, educating men on healthy sexual
relationships, and educating parents to rise up to their responsibilities in
taking care and protecting their children from being abused. Please share the
motto of WARSHE:
Make sure you are not raped!!!!!!!!!!
Make sure SHE is not raped!!!!!!!!!!! ###########

This article is part of a writing assignment for Voices of Our Future, which is providing rigorous web 2.0 and new media training for 31 emerging women leaders. We are speaking out for social change from some of the most forgotten corners of the world. Meet Us.