Mindshift for Efficiency: My Thoughts on Rape

I first wrote this article in 2017 when the popular #EndSARS campaign and the alleged illegal arrest, detention and rape of many ladies in Abuja, Nigeria by men alleged to be members of the Nigeria Police Force were trending allover social media. I wrote it then, but was skeptical to publish it because I feared that some of the ideas I share herein may be considered too pragmatic, and probably insensitive. Since then, however, repeated cases of rape in Nigeria that have been unsuccessfully tackled because of the reasons I adduce herein have forced me to quit my fears. So, here I am with my thoughts about rape, unapologetically mine.

Rape is unarguably one of the worst forms of human abuse today. Nothing is so personal to any person like their sexuality. Sexuality is a compound word referring to a person’s language, motions, organs and acts of sex.

In today’s world though, the language, motions (and more frequently, the organs) of sex aren’t entirely personal for many (at least, not anymore, since they are usually made public by people), but actual sex acts are still deemed personal.

Since having sex is personal, it can only be done with the permission/consent of the person(s) involved for the act to be deemed lawful. Hence, to carry out sex acts on anyone without their prior consent, and especially forcefully or by unlawful coercion, is what I deem to be rape. It is one of the worst evils that I can imagine done to any human being.

Rape and robbery are synonymous. Think about this! The only difference between the two is the item stolen. During a robbery, usually, physical items or materials are taken away from a person without their consent, forcefully or by unlawful coercion. During rape, however, a person’s sexuality is plundered without his/her prior consent, and the victims are robbed of their virtues such as their sense of emotional stability/decency, self-worth, dignity, and self-value or esteem.

Unlike the items lost during a robbery, however, these are priceless and intangible items which money cannot buy back. I believe that only God can heal the victim of the trauma caused by rape in time.

But, I hold certain views about rape and how it's being handled by the larger society which I want to share in this article.

First and foremostly, I believe that rape is a direct result of the depravity of the heart of its perpetrators. The buck starts and ends with them because their choices ultimately led to it! And while it is unfortunate that men who are naturally charged with the duty of protection in social structure are the highest offenders, it is important to examine the issues that likely make this so, in a bid to be more objective in designing and implementing an efficient solution.

See also: WILL MAN'S SEXUAL APPETITE LEAD HIM TO A TIPPING POINT?

Naturally, men are moved or aroused sexually by what they see. It is not uncommon or biologically wrong for a man to look at a woman and find her sexually attractive or appealing. God made it so. Some may then go on to lust after her in their hearts, imagining all sorts of sexually illicit ideas with her image in their hearts. (God didn't make this one so).

But only a psychologically (and yes spiritually) depraved man will dare to physically force himself on a woman, just because of how she's dressed. This is why I believe that the direct cause is depravity of the heart.

This is why we hear reports of older men raping girls who are even less than 6 years of age. This depravity may be a result of the wickedness of those men, or their own psychological and/or emotional deficiencies as well. Society always quickly opines the first, but neglects the second. And that's the first problem.

But, studies have shown that as many as 30% of male rapists have themselves once either been sexually abused, or suffered one form of abuse or the other as children which twists their ideologies about life and the opposite sex growing up.

There is a school of thought which regards all rapist men as evil. I do not belong to that school of thought. I believe that some of them are equally victims who need help just as their victims would now do. Mind you, this is not an attempt by me to water-down the criminality of their evil act. I just think the society needs to readjust its lenses and look at this issue more holistically and pragmatically than sensationally.

The boy child remains the most uncared for human being, at least throughout Africa. Think about it. I'm sure you've heard of NGOs that focus on training the girl child right now. How many have you heard of that focus on the boy child?

Not all armed robbers are hard-hearted, wicked, evil and callous. Some of them are victims of the terribly corrupt social system of their day with its attendant economic molestation of the disadvantaged. Is this a justification for their crimes? No. Does this make it less of a crime? Certainly not. But it’s surely an additional helpful factor to be considered if we are going to succeed in reducing crime.

It's easy to shout and condemn something. But when it comes down to looking at the real issues and coming up with an efficient solution, you've got to take your goggles off and look closely at the details on the table. Sometimes, you'll also probably need to roll up your sleeves, dig in the mud, and get your hands dirty while trying to find what's buried in there.

History has shown that reduction in crime has been directly traced to increased economic empowerment, political stability and improved social justice. Even for those armed robbers who are wicked and heartless, in places such as the US and other western nations, much has been invested into building correctional facilities and prisons which have led to the reform of many.

As I’ve said before, rape is synonymous with robbery. And on this note, I think that instead of spending a lot of energy wrongly labeling all rapists as evil, people, human rights organizations, and governments should think and become more pragmatic with their solutions by investing more in programmes which educate the boy child on how to handle peer pressure, emotional/psychological instability (especially as a result of being a victim of any form of abuse) as well as self-esteem issues. These are three main areas in which all rapist men have major deficiencies. As they say, “prevention is always better than cure”. As they say, "the best way to predict the future is to create it".

In addition to this, more resources should be dedicated to building, equipping and running efficient correctional centers and prisons for those convicted on rape charges (I hardly support the death penalty for ANY crime at all).

In a nutshell, while the attention and focus on building the girl child is good, let us remember that as long as the boy child is neglected by society, evil acts like rape will also continue to bother everyone.

See also: #CHURCHTALK 04: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT SEX?

Secondly, while I unequivocally posit that rape is ALWAYS a direct result of depravity of the heart, I also reason that there are also some indirect facilitators of the act; things like contributive negligence (especially in some rape cases involving an adult female).

Solutions to the rape problem must start coming more from the head, and not from the heart alone as is often the case; out of courage, not always out of fear, pity or sympathy. That’s not how we handled the armed robbery problem when it started plaguing Africa. We must start thinking more intellectually than emotionally about our solutions to this problem like we did with the problem of armed robbery. We can do it with rape too.

We all unanimously condemn armed robbery. Security agencies are given the mandate to combat the menace on the ground, while governments are to focus on creating more economically, politically and socially stable and equitable societies for their citizens (at least, that has been the strategy).

But, one thing the security agencies keep emphasizing on while doing their job is vigilance on everyone’s part. They won't do that part for you. They call on everyone to take personal responsibility for the safety of their movements and valuables. We are constantly encouraged to be watchful over our properties and environments, and to report suspicious movements. We are constantly reminded at bus parks to watch over our luggages and to ensure that our valuable items are kept safe from theft.

Nobody tells us in Africa, but we all know that we should lock our gates and doors at night, and probably even barbwire our fences to ward-off intruders. We already know that the actual cause of armed robbery is choice made often due to economic, political and social instability, (not unlocked doors and gates per se, which are the avenues that facilitate the robbery; the contributive negligence factors), but while combating them, we make sure to do whatever is necessary to keep our valuables safe whether at home or in transit in order to make it difficult for those who may attempt to rob us still to do so. This has been working for many people. We must also begin to apply this strategy to the rape problem.

Whether or not a woman dresses indecently does not justify rape. But, at the same time, decent dressing should be encouraged and strongly advocated for by everyone who wants a safer society. (I am speaking specifically about the rape of adult females). Parents particularly, need to take the lead on this and teach their young ones decency in dressing, approach and speech as a personal responsibility.

The wisdom in assuming personal responsibility for your own safety cannot be overemphasized. We don't overemphasize it while discussing burglary, but barely mention it while discussing rape. Is this strategy really helpful?

Source: The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey 2010 report

Being safety conscious and knowing where and when not to be alone with a man is becoming old fashioned. But wisdom is never outdated, and is always profitable to direct. Based on the NIPSVS 2010 report in the US as cited above, rape by current or former intimate partners, and acquaintances consist as much as 53% and 33%  of all rape cases nationally. These are people who are WELL KNOWN to the victims.

For me, I feel that this says a lot about the need for ladies to take personal responsibility for their safety. It's not just the kind of man you're hanging out with; it's also where, when, how you're hanging out with them. I'm not saying that if they rape you because you felt more comfortable being in a room with them even when you saw signs that something was off, that they're justified. I'm not even saying that if you dress in very skimpy short skirt and get raped, that you deserve it. Absolutely not! I'm saying, "why allow yourself to be a scapegoat?"

Also, while I believe that pedophiles deserve nothing less but jail, I think that for concerned parents, wisdom will beckon on them to take responsibility for their children's safety. We live in a terrible world, and in terrible times. We often say this, then act like we've forgotten that we're in a terrible world and in terrible times. The slogan for the fight against rape should be PROTECT YOURSELF or PROTECT YOUR OWN.

I know that there are some people who do not see reason with this point. To such people, I have one simple question to ask them: If you get robbed because you left your gate, doors and windows open, will you share the blame between yourself and the robbers?

Finally, one thing that I have learnt painfully from watching rape cases come and go over the years is that rape is one of the most difficult crimes to prove in a court of law. I'm not an expert in law, but I think that usually, probable cause is enough to convict a person in general criminal law. But not in the case of rape; you often need hard evidence.

Not too long ago, Ace Photographer and mother of three, Busola Dakolo openly accused Pastor Fatoyinbo of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA) of raping her some 23 years ago in a very emotional and tell-all raw video interview. A public outcry ensued as a result. The case eventually went to court, but was struck out.........wait for it........based on STATUE LIMITATIONS!

Some other cases actually get argued in court, but the alleged victim hardly gets justice because the court will always seek for EVIDENCE before handing out a conviction. That is the law. All the frenzy on social media often ends up as cheap talk in the law court. This is why I'm a firm believer in the need for us as a society to strengthen our laws, and also to be more objective in teaching women about self defense tactics, and the need to REPORT WITH EVIDENCE WHEN RAPED, IMMEDIATELY TOO.

We keep making the excuse that rape victims are too ashamed to go to the authorities to make a report. But what if that's their ONLY chance for getting justice??

It is certainly time for a major mindshift in the way that we as a society approach the rape menace. We need to stop coming from the emotional angle and start coming more from the objective and intellectual angle. Efficiency always wins.

There certainly are many other parts and angles to this issue. But I will stop here for now.


Chukwubuikem Anunaso is a civil/structural engineer, writer, and editor committed to the need to promote social engineering as a tool for holistic development and securing a desirable future for African youths.
anunaso.cp@gmail.com, www.facebook.com/pauloschubby