Wachuka Musomba
Silence and shame is often a burden carried solely by the victims of sexual offences, with the perpetrators remaining unscathed whilst their targets are left scarred. Fear of skepticism, harsh judgment and social expulsion tend to seal the lips of victims who grapple with feigning normalcy and masking their humiliation. In April 2018, an online conversation was sparked surrounding rape under the hashtag end rape culture, with young ladies sharing their horrific experiences and naming the perpetrators of the acts.
Unfortunately the victims were unable to attain justice due to the lapse of time, making it impossible to collect the required forensic evidence necessary to prosecute the alleged perpetrators. Forensic evidence needs to be collected within 72 hours of the offence, therefore medical assistance must be sought within this crucial golden-hour window. Legal redress was further inhibited as most of the incidents disclosed were never reported to the police when they happened.
The campaign was inspired by this conversation in an attempt to address the problem head on, using the same hashtag - #endrapeculture - in continuing to drive the conversation and bolster awareness. The campaign aims to highlight some of the fallacies associated with rape and to provide helpful information to the victim that will enable them to seek legal redress.
The fear of speaking out and reporting the violation is accountable to a variety of reasons, including uncertainty as to whether the victims had been raped on account of intoxication at the time of the offence. The risk of disgrace and ill-treatment also fuels the reluctance to report cases to the police. Even more agitating is the condemnatory attitude adopted by officers at the gender desk who have been known to make disparaging comments and drive away survivors through the discomfort and embarrassment they elicit.
Firstly, rape is often misconstrued to be extremely violent, labeling the perpetrators as thugs and strangers to the victims. This is not true. More often than not, rapists are people closely associated with the victim: friends, family or even acquaintances. The numerous cases of rape within relationships is certainly not a novel concept. Yes, even the love of your life can rape you.
How many times have you heard that someone was taken advantage of at a party? I have heard it far too many times and it’s disgusting! The rapists claim that they got consent but as per the law one cannot give consent if they are high, drunk, underage or mentally incapacitated!
Another misconception is that it is only women that are victims or are at risk of rape. This is false. Men get raped too! It is time that men speak out on this to create awareness. The reason as to why many men are hesitant to come forward with this is due to the high social stigma associated with it.
There is no reasonable justification as to the occurrence of rape. Just because they were dressed in an outfit that is “too revealing”, or they were drinking, or were walking at odd hours of the night DOES NOT mean that they were asking for it! It’s about time that the blame is put on those responsible and not the victim.
The Strathmore Law Clinic has worked tirelessly to put together a document containing important information such as what one should do once they suspect that they have been raped, a psychologist to call, police stations around and medical facilities offering post-rape care. It has also included a list of shelters for victims.
The society we live in is our responsibility. You might be reading this thinking that it does not affect you but it really does. The more we ignore that intoxicated girl at a party being taken to a room or car by a person who seems to have ill intentions, the more we justify reasons for rape saying “Her skirt was too short, she was asking for it!” etc., or the more we laugh at a man who says that he has been forced to have sex without his consent, questioning his masculinity, the more we water the rape culture tree, that needs to be cut down. Why you may ask, is because tomorrow it might just be you or someone you really love and care about.
Join us in spreading this message. Join us in creating a safer society for ourselves and future generations.
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