Frankly Dedoyin

I recall reading some time ago an African Writers' Series novel 'Changes' authored by Ata Ama Aidoo. One of the sub-themes of the novel was on the issue of rape: Was it possible to rape one's wife? I asked a few people thereafter and observed their answers were split along the boundaries of the diverse African cultural values and religious doctrines on marriage. Rape has been described as the psychological extension of a dominant - submissive sex-role stereotype culture. And oftentimes, isn't it true that our culture determine what we interpret as normal. In a socio-centric milieu such as Nigeria, rape is nearly reported every day in the dailies and the incidence are growing at an unbelievably astronomical level. In spite of this, there are still many unreported cases. It is estimated that as high as 67 - 84 % of cases of rape and other sexually related violence are unreported due to their sensitivity. This makes it even difficult to gather e...

The topic of sexual violence still remains largely ignored even in this age. Sadly, like every public health challenge, denial only worsens its menace. It carries patriarchal, misogynist and gender bias undertones. It thus becomes pertinent to acknowledge the scourge of sexual violence in our national and cultural life. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes sex violence as " any sexual act or any attempt to obtain sexual act , unwanted sexual comments or advances , acts to traffic or otherwise directed , against a person's sexuality using coercion by any person regardless of their relationship with the victim in any setting including but not limited to home and work ." The root causes of sexual violence are complex and like many other crimes, it may not be completely explicable or understood by a single factor. However, one of the most underscored factors associated with sexual violence is the subjection of culture. It is noteworthy that the diversity...