Legal Rape (Ongoing)
In recent time,
numbers of rape victim has been on the increase in Nigeria. Nigeria is still
very much a patriarchal and misogynistic society; a society where rules are
dictated and governed by men, and culture and tradition makes men head over
women. The culture aspect includes gender norms that validate men as sexual
pursuers and attitudes that view women as sexual conquests by which manhood is
legitimized and women are objectified, as sexual objects to be owned, used,
consumed, and even sexually abused by the “entitled” male.
The society on their part undermines the emotional trauma
experienced by rape victims and thus become unsympathetic and sees it as a
norm.
The documentary
"Legal Rape" explores the uncomfortable memories of rape victims and
their search for closure, in a society where the mindset of most people as it
relates to sexual assault tends to be
un-empathetic, unsympathetic and seen as a norm.
Some of the victims truly suffer
uncomfortable memories such as nightmares, flashbacks, suicide thoughts and
feelings of guilt. It can also manifest
in physical ways, like chronic pain, intestinal problems, muscle cramps,
paralyzed vocal cord, or as in TY case, sleep disorder.
With the shameful act increasing day after
day in Nigeria, keeping silent about the issue is no longer the way to go and
heal for the girls I documented.
Truly, rape victims have some periodic
bitter flashbacks, so they usually take steps to heal, but healing seems far
for many of them without a proper support system
from families, society or agencies. People should join "say no to
rape" advocacy since that would go a long way to reduce the number of
incidents.