It may sound quite incredible and exaggerated, but it is true. Every year, not less than 60 million girls are sexually assaulted globally, not only by unknown persons outside their domains, but also by their own  male relatives.
Recently, a Muslim cleric commented on Premium Times that “rape is on the increase mainly because moral bankruptcy has hit its peak”.  He added that “women are no longer ashamed of exposing their bodies in public ….”.
The second part of  the cleric’s comment could not go down well with many people, especially women. They considered such comment  as insensitive, coming from a leader.
The women’s indignation was heightened by the death of a 14-year-old girl who was raped in her parents’ apartment. “Away from the public’s view, who did little Obiamaka Ngozichukwu Orakwe expose her body to at the moment of her violation? They queried.
No doubt, indecent dressing has popularly been tagged a bait for young men who lack control over their sexual urge. For this reason, religious bodies and organizations which uphold integrity in high esteem condemn it  in its entirety. However, could that be considered a justification for young men to exhibit such bestiality, up to the point of raping their victims to death?
If indecent dressing is the catalyst for rape in Nigeria, then one may be tempted to ask if the countless number of babies, infants and children that have been violated were also provocatively dressed. How many women have been raped outside the shores of Nigeria where women are usually almost naked in the beaches? These are countries where premium is placed on women’s protection. It is quite unfortunate that while  attentions are shifted to emerging events and ideas in other climes, we are here still talking about basic things as rape and how it is ravaging our society.
While I may not blame those who were angered by the cleric’s utterance, I think his words are not totally out of place. The first part of his comment speaks volume of the reason behind the emerging ugly trend of rape in our society. Moral bankruptcy has indeed hit its peak and I think the earlier the public at large realizes this with a view to addressing it, the better for all of us.
The issue of child sexual abuse occasioned by incessant rapes has indeed assumed a more disturbing dimension in Nigeria. Hardly will a day passes without news reports  filled with gory details of one rape case  or the other.
On the 3rd of May, 2017, for instance, we were all confronted with a bizarre incident where young boys from Ireti Grammar School at Obalende, Ikoyi axis of Lagos, physically attacked, sexually assaulted and attempted to rape their female counterparts from Falomo Senior High School in broad day light. To the shock of the Human Rights Community and concerned citizens, the law enforcement agencies said the incident should not be termed as ‘rape’, but mere students’ rivalry and indifferences.
Another recent sad incident involved a 14-year-old girl, Obiamaka Ngozichukwu Orakwe, who was raped to death in her parents’ apartment in Lagos State, by miscreants. She was neither walking on the street nor provocatively dressed. Right in her father’s house, they gagged her, took turns to gang-rape her and thereafter abandoned her in a pool of her blood and she bled to death.
Honestly speaking, the head aches, the mouth tastes bitter, the eyes release tears, while the skin actually dehydrates each time one ponders over the story of Obiamaka. This means that children are no longer safe anywhere. They are kidnapped and raped at school, yet no safety could be secured right in their parents’ hut. This is a big blow to the society and our moral values.
How we perceive or interprete rape determines how we confront it and how we would be able to tackle its menace. Yesterday, it was Jumoke, today Fatima; tomorrow, it may be the turn of Chiamaka to be raped and who knows how well the society would be able to handle it at such level.
Rape, which ever form it takes is a felony in Nigeria, it attracts a maximum punishment of life imprisonment and a minimum of 14 years imprisonment for attempted rape as stipulated by Section 357,358,359 and 360 of the Criminal Code. The culture of normalizing or trivializing sexual assault, blaming of victims or survivors rather creates a cycle of impunity for sexual crimes in Nigeria.
Although, the few cases that were officially reported were those perpetrated in the open, or such that led to the death of the raped, otherwise, the society seems to be deadened by the culture of silence, basically for fear of stigmatization, which may not be unconnected with the attitude of those whose duty it is to protect their subjects. Ordinarily, one expects that issues of rape of minors in Nigeria should be abating,  but the truth remains that justice has not been well appropriated by those concerned in this regard.
Rape and all forms of sexual abuse have continued to thrive in Nigeria simply because of the unserious approach those in authority adopt in confronting them. Regrettably, under the watchful eyes of law enforcement agencies, perpetrators of rape, incest and other forms of child-sexual abuse get away with their crimes.
Obiamaka’s case is a test for Lagos State Government and the Federal Government. If nothing is done to bring the perpetrators to book, I’m afraid, the government may lose the will to combat rape menace in Nigeria.

Sylvia ThankGod-Amadi