It was an evening of tears and
testimonies in Lagos last week as rape survivors, mostly minors,
narrated their nightmarish experiences at the hands of rapists. The
occasion was the launch of Friends of Mirabel, held at the The Social
Place, 33 Sinari Road, Victoria Island.
It was on a day the Mirabel Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Lagos
State, said thank you to Nigerians and other partners who have been its
pillar of support in the effort to reduce the financial and emotional
burden of 1, 074 rape and other sexual violence victims it has helped
since it started two years ago.
Some of the victims betrayed emotions while narrating their various
experiences. The atmosphere became charged and guests who were
initially in a celebration mood in the colourful hall became moody. From
the Master of Ceremony to the last guest, tears flowed freely.
The victims narrated how they suffered and lost their pride of
womanhood. Their stories broke emotional barriers and many wept
profusely in solidarity with the survivors. Despite the counselling and
motivation these victims may have received, they remain distraught and
heartbroken.
Narrating her heart-rending story, Mercy, who was raped at the age
of eight said it was a day she would never want to remember. Her case
could be described as pain after pain because she was later diagnosed
with Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF), a diagnosis that compounded her
agonies.
An abnormal fistulous tract extending between the bladder and the
vagina, VVF allows the continuous involuntary discharge of urine into
the vaginal vault. Apart from the medical complication, VVF has a
profound effect on the patient’s emotional well-being.
“I was eight-years-old when a man raped me. If his action ended
there, it would have been better for me but, it was the beginning of
many problems ahead of me till today. After the rape, I was taken to the
hospital for treatment. It was after many tests that the doctors said I
had developed VVF. I have been operated twice as a young girl.
“At a point, nobody was willing to help me to the extent that I was
using piece of cloth to clean the discharge from my body. When Mirabel
Centre took up the case, my shame was taken away because they provided
me with lots of medical and psychological support.
Psychological support
“In all, I thank God that I didn’t die in the process and I am alive
today to share the testimony. I want government to work harder to get
rapists punished and eradicate sexual violence in Nigeria.” Janet was
barely two years when she was raped. She was so young that her story
could only be told by her mother. She was assaulted by two men. The
violation occurred while her mother, Nkiru, was away from home to eke
out a living.
A single mother, Nkiru, said it all started when she noticed her
daughter was frequently falling ill. “The father abandoned me when I
became pregnant so I had to work to support myself and my baby. As a
single mother, I was working at a factory to cater for my family. Since I
was not allowed to take her to my place of work; my neighbour offered
to assist me to look after her while I was off at work.
“Initially, I was reluctant to place her under the woman’s care but
she assured me she would be safe with her. I later learned the woman
allowed her to play in other neighbours’ apartments and the men were
buying things to entice the innocent child.
“One a day I returned from work and I was discussing with her when
she said something about sex and I was shocked, considering her age. I
did not really suspect she was raped; I only thought she might have
watched pornographic films or seen such pictures. But when she repeated
it some other times, I told one of my sisters, who then advised me to
ask her other questions and to take her to the hospital.
Medical examinations
“When we took her for test, medical examinations showed that she had
been violated. I was furious and heartbroken. I cried. The men might
have raped her many times because I was keeping her with the woman for
about a year. My daughter started having discharges and itches in her
private part. It was very embarrassing to me and I saw the girl was in
pain”, she said.
Based on the information supplied by her daughter, Nkiru went to the
Police Station to complain. The Police arrested the two men accused of
the act. They were later charged to court and prosecuted. “The rapists
threatened to deal with me on several occasions. They told me that I
would soon abandon the case since I had no money to hire a lawyer to
defend my daughter in court,” she added.
Jenny’s case was in court for four years before judgment was given.
The perpetrators were convicted of the crime and sentenced to
jail. Miriam’s case was also highlighted. She was raped by a Customs
Officer at Apapa, Lagos. She alleged conspiracy by the Police and
expressed disappointment and pain that the perpetrator walks freely on
the streets of Lagos.
“A Nigerian Customs officer raped me on August 3, 2015. It didn’t end
there; when he saw that I opened up, he was sending people after me and
threatening to deal with me. His threats lasted about two months. I
reported at the Police Station but nothing has been done to him to date.
“After he had carnal knowledge of me, I was frustrated and became
very angry at the slightest provocation. Many times, I felt like
committing suicide. When I got to Mirabel Centre, the staff counselled
and comforted me that it was not my fault. We need more centres like
Mirabel in Nigeria,” she said.
In her contribution, the Managing Partner of the Centre, Mrs. Itoro
Eze-Anaba, who expressed appreciation for the United Kingdom’s
Partnership for Justice, an arm of the country’s Department for
International Development, DFID, for funding the Centre in the last two
years, appealed to Nigerians not to allow the Centre closed down.
Eze-Anaba, who acknowledged that challenges at the centre were
increasing, said they now receive an average of 100 victims per month.
She urged all stakeholders in the society to devote their time and
financial resources in campaigning against rape and other social vices
in Nigeria as the issue of rape is not a joke.
Also speaking, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu of the National Human Rights
Commission, NHRC, who was also decorated as an Ambassador of Mirabel
Centre, said Nigerians should see the fight against rape as everyone’s
responsibility. Odinkalu faulted a portion of the law on rape, which
places stiffer penalty on a rapist of an adult and lighter punishment on
those that rape minors. She lamented it was the reason the number of
female children being sexually molested is increasing.
“It is unfortunate that it is only Lagos State and the FCT, Abuja
that have criminalised rape in Nigeria,” he said. Continuing, he
disclosed that a recent government sponsored survey showed that 25 per
cent of Nigerian girls would be raped before they are 18, and nine
million children would be exposed to rape annually, except something is
done urgently to correct the ugly trend. “The issue of rape is not a
joke. We need to look into families that are suffering some forms of
domestic violence,” he said.
Sources;Vanguard
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