The figures to support rape is on the increase are staggering. Lagos State recorded 678 rape cases between March 2012 and March 2013, with many experts claiming that many rape cases are unaccounted for. Random study of students of The Polytechnic, Ibadan found that in their lifetimes 1.7 per cent (2.5 per cent of males and 1.1 per cent of females) had raped and 2.7 per cent (5.3 per cent of males and 0.9 per cent of females) had attempted rape.
Out of a sample of 295 female students from Ebonyi State University Abakaliki, 36.7 per cent had experienced sexual harassment/victimisation at least once on campus. Of this, 32.4 per cent had been raped (10.8 per cent of the sample).
A study comparing the sexual practices of 12-19-year-old students with and without mild/moderate intellectual disabilities from schools across Oyo State found that 68.3 per cent of the sexually experienced intellectually disabled females reported a history of rape victimisation compared to 2.9 per cent of the sexually experienced non-disabled females.
In 2013, in a poll of 585 randomly selected adults from the six geopolitical zones by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Polls in collaboration with the Gallup Organisation, 34 per cent of the respondents answered ‘What do you think is the most prevalent cause of rape in the society?’ with ‘indecent dressing’ while 29 per cent said they personally knew a victim of rape.
Osowobi believes that rape victims find it difficult to tell their experience because people in Nigeria, even parents, often blame victims rather than the rapist. Traditional values, culture and mentality have played their role in condemning rape victims but Osowobi strongly thinks a massive campaign against rape can change all that. “In Nigeria, the victim is always at the receiving end. Most of the people here do a lot of victim naming. It is either they say she was indecently dressed or what was he or she doing with that person or in that place,” she said.
She explained that unless people open their minds and weigh rape issues with sensitivity the number of rape cases could grow. “I think it is time for us to have a re-orientation on how we think about rape. In as much as I don’t advocate for indecent dressing, however, it is not a justification for you to rape somebody. So we need to clear our mind and have a different perspective on rape,” she stated.
Since Osowobi established her initiative in September 2013, she said many people have been sharing their experiences with her, particularly via social network sites, Facebook and Twitter. Her rape campaign goes beyond the victims. She also wants Nigerians to respect the position of others on sex. “When a woman says no, that no should be no. I had a conversation with someone who said he does not believe in rape or no. He said if a girl is drunk and has been touching his sensitive parts and he decides to sleep with her and she says no, he would not accept because she is under the influence of alcohol and could mean the opposite of what she’s saying.”
She added that: “There is very little difference between you wanting to satisfy your sexual desires and raping someone. But the truth of the matter is that once a lady says no, even if she is under the influence of alcohol, then her word should be respected.”
Osowobi’s passion to help sensitise Nigerians and rape victims was nurtured at Half The Sky Movement, New York, USA. “I read the news everyday and virtually every newspaper had rape on it and that spurred me. With the experience I have gained I decided that since I know how the system works for rape survivors abroad why can’t I bring it back to my own community,” she said.
She advised rape victims to speak up and show evidence of their rape. She noted that this is one way by which the crime can be curbed. “The first thing I tell rape survivors or victims is that they must not take their bath. Once you have been raped do not clean up, just go to the hospital to get checked as well as a medical report to prove that you have been raped,” she emphasised.
She said the government also has a major role to play in rape. “I think if a man can go as low as raping or defiling his own daughter, a six-year-old girl, I don’t think he deserves any fair judgement. I think he should be jailed. I believe that a defined concrete judgement should be meted against every rapist, maybe 14 or 15 years. And after jail, you will be placed on a rape offender register where you can’t get job in certain industries. You have created awareness that after jail you have another life out there, after jail you can’t any job out there,” she said.
Osowobi noted that rape is not exclusive to girls or women. She said increasingly boys are being raped by their aunts, maids and even teachers in school. She wants parents to help their children by educating them.
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