As with most of the cases relating to social injustice, it is not so much the crime itself that is committed that weighs us down as a community, but a combination of variables which if not addressed worsens the whole situation, factors such as: what we are doing as a people to combat the problem, what stand each individual takes in response to the issue at hand, and the progress we have made so far to make sure that such a nasty incident doesn’t repeat itself.

Social injustice, especially those targeting a certain demographic are very sensitive in nature, as we have come to find that the law is not always exercised to its fullest extent with said cases. This is because such a crime appears to only affect a supposed minority group and therefore is often treated with much less severity than it should.

It is this factor that creates a divide in opinions, and directly influences the amount of effort put into remedying the problem.

Such has been the case for rape through out history, and while men also fall a victim to this evil, it would seem that women in general are bearing the brunt of it. Young girls, teenagers, and adult females are constantly at risk of getting violated by a sexual predator, and this is a fear that no one should be made to live with.

The recent rape case of a 20 year old student: Uwa who was raped and brutally assaulted while reading inside a Church building in Benin, since making its way to social media, is exposing just why there has been little progress in Nigeria when it comes to combating rape.

The news, since making rounds on social media has been a subject of discussion, with most people agreeing that this is a problem we can’t keep ignoring. With the lock down in place, people now have time to reflect on such issues and make their contributions verbally or otherwise, rather than sweep it under the carpet after one or two days under the pretext that they are too busy.

With time on our hands, we can truly comprehend just how disturbing it is that someone who simply wanted to read a book, go for a jog, or someone who was going her way while a police man had an altercation with a bus driver, can be met with a terrifying fate. With time on our hands we are beginning to realize just how little we have done in the past to fight for the defenseless and helpless, especially when it comes to paying attention to the people around us who pose a potential threat.

Among the messages from sympathizers and those demanding justice for Uwa on social media, some troubling comments surfaced on Facebook which then made its on to other social media platforms, depicting some men justifying the actions of the rapists who defiled the defenseless girl. ‘

Men will embarrass you

God almighty

Genevieve, rapist #JusticeForUwa #justiceforjennifer pic.twitter.com/YkA9JtRKcY

— Miseducation Of Bensira? (@iambensiraemeka) May 31, 2020

Dem never finish ooo. See another ‘Hediot’ justifying the dastardly act .

…..and there was so much fun and celebration the day this one was born.

Imagine the nonsense he spewed out there. pic.twitter.com/gtFeqhLwuK

— Okechukwu Hod Ngene (@NgeneHod) June 1, 2020

 

See this one sef ?‍♂?‍♂?‍♂ pic.twitter.com/6zdh6dApVP

— RUNS BOY (@KunleOtegbade) June 1, 2020

With these comments it has now become clear why rape persists in Nigeria and why there is no justice met to those who commit these heinous crimes.

As if the comments were not bad enough, one of these men openly claimed that he was a rapist, detailing just how he used to victimize young innocent girls.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CA3JnqTAq2w/

In this time, we have heard nothing from law enforcement agents, and we as a community are uncertain if the police even has an interest in at the very least tracking down the confessed rapist.