“Before something do you. . .”

For years, we have been hearing how that South Africa is the rape capital of the world and many commentators have taken to social media to express their disgust and horror at the level of sexual and/or gender-based violence that is constantly being reported out of that country. But have we been selectively oblivious? A hausa proverb says “laifi tudu, kana taka naka ka ga na wani”, basically that offense is a mountain you climb to enable you see someone else’s. Is Nigeria well on its way to the ignoble, severely dubious distinction of overthrowing South Africa from that position? TransparencIT Nigeria recently reported that there were 485 sexual assault cases in Kaduna State (my home State) between January and May, 2020. Four Hundred and Eighty-Five! Within a period of 5 months. In ONE State! Fellow Countrymen, what exactly is going on? Clearly, sex and gender-based violence is a very real, growing problem. What does it take to declare a state of emergency - because if this is not an emergency, I don’t know what is!

Sometimes you feel like we may be making progress towards reducing the occurrence of this grave evil, and then from nowhere something happens to shatter that illusion and send you back to square one. Think of the setting up of domestic violence and gender desks in our Police Stations and the countless campaigns by numerous groups and bodies among other things; yet in 2020 more toddlers are being raped than ever before, women are feeling more and more unsafe and the tide just does not seem to be abating. There has never been a truer illustration of the pidgin maxim “one day, one trouble”. It is so disheartening. One key problem with arresting this situation is the fact that all too often, the perpetrators go scot free either because rape and assault is so difficult to prove or because the authorities are complicit or guilty of being susceptible to manipulation by the perpetrators or even that 3rd parties (particularly religious leaders and family members) intervene to sweep the matter under the carpet for their warped and callous reasons. Another big issue is victim shaming. Please let us not be confused: it is never the victim’s fault: the victim is a VICTIM! Period. The trauma of rape and abuse is already too much to bear for the victim; why do we worsen it by putting hoops and hurdles in the path of their attempt at finding some closure or justice or just even peace in their souls? 

Lastly, while many can confidently and justifiably say “I am not a rapist”, it will be even better to take a further step and be actively involved in the fight against rape. This means different things for different people - sensitizing your immediate sphere of influence, giving money to organizations doing campaigns or working with victims – whatever little you can do is much. Rape is definitely reinforced by the fact that it is condoned, maybe even encouraged by societal attitudes and “traditions”. Many boys have been brought up thinking they can pretty much do whatever they want and get away with it. We must commit to re-socialization and learn to respect boundaries. Stop cat-calling ladies passing on the street, stop touching people without their consent and stop objectifying them. It is an uphill task but it is one that MUST be undertaken. We cannot continue to speak halfheartedly, in hushed tones about this. We must scream hysterically that rape and all other forms of sex and gender-based violence and harassment are not acceptable in our communities, in our society. 

We are not barbarians but barbaric conduct is fast becoming the norm and is retrogressing our advancement as a people. What does it matter that we have invented all sorts of technological marvels if we have completely lost track of the dignity of the human person and safety and security for the exposed and vulnerable? We must scale back this cancer that is fast eating up our very sanity as a people.

As the warning goes, “do something before something do you”.