TOPIC TODAY: The War on the Female Gender.Nigeria is facing a "silent pandemic" of sexual violence where the system seems designed to protect the predator and punish the survivor.• Is the Police System inherently biased against women, making reporting a "second rape"?• Why does society still use "Clothing" and "Odd Hours" to excuse the inexcusable?• The Big Question: If 1 in 4 women are victims, and the system is too "rotten" to fix itself, is it time for a Radical Legal Overhaul, or will we keep looking away until the explosion happens?
SCENE: Jide’s living room. Bisola, a lawyer is visiting and join the conversation by opening a folder full of case files as part of her contribution to the conversation.
BISOLA (Voice steady but heavy):
You want the truth? Statistics suggest that 1 in 4 Nigerian women have experienced some form of sexual violence before the age of 18. While people say "it happens every few minutes," the real tragedy is that we don't even know the true number. Why? Because less than 10% of cases are ever reported.
JIDE:
1 in 4? That’s a quarter of the female population! Why is the silence so loud?
NNE (Scoffing):
Because of who we have to report to, Jide! You walk into a police station trembling, and you’re met by a desk full of male officers who look at you like you are the criminal. They ask: "What were you wearing?" or "Why were you there at 10 PM?" They don't see a victim; they see a girl who "asked for it."
BISOLA:
Nne is right. The system is patriarchal at its core. Even with the VAPP Act (Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act), enforcement is a nightmare. Most survivors know their attacker - it’s an uncle, a neighbour, a friend, online acquitance or a "benefactor." When they try to speak, the system hits them with a "Retribution Wall." Family members beg them to drop it to "save face." Police officers "lose" files after a bribe.
OLA:
But Bisola, some would argue that certain clothes are... you know, provocative. Doesn't that play a part?
BISOLA (Turning to Ola):
Ola, babies are raped. Grandmothers are raped. Women in full hijabs are raped. This isn't about "provocative clothes" - it’s about power and lack of consequence. If the system doesn't punish the rapist, the system is essentially his accomplice.
JENNIFER:
It’s even worse when you look at "Transactional Survival." Students in secondary schools and universities face "Sex for Marks." Women trying to process a visa or get a business loan are lured into "meetings" that turn into assaults. They stay silent or tell stories to cover up because the society that should protect them is the first to tarnish their reputation.
ELDER EPHRAIM (Lowering his head):
It sounds like a war situation. In war, women are treated as "spoils." Are we saying our peace-time Nigeria treats our daughters like spoils of war?
BISOLA:
Yes, Elder. That is exactly what it is. It’s a war of attrition. Victims are threatened and harassed until they withdraw the case. By the time the court is ready, the survivor is too broken to continue. The system is so rotten that even NGOs and charity organizations are struggling to keep their heads above water. They are fighting a flood with a teaspoon.
EOO (Softly):
We have lost our human sensitivity. We look away because it’s "uncomfortable." But every time we look away, we give another predator a green light.
BISOLA:
The only way forward is to keep this in the public domain. We must force a change by making the silence more uncomfortable than the truth. Until a rapist fears the law more than a woman fears the shame, nothing will change.
JIDE:
Then we keep talking. We don't stop until the system is forced to breathe.
Legal Insight: The "Justice Bottleneck."
To understand why the system fails, we must look at the three levels of failure:
• The Police Level: The lack of "Gender Desks" in many stations means victims are interviewed in public by untrained officers.
• The Social Level: "Compounding an offense" - the illegal act of settling rape cases out of court - is a cultural epidemic in Nigeria.
• The Judicial Level: Slow trials and a high burden of proof often mean the survivor is re-traumatized on the stand while the perpetrator walks free on "technicalities."
BISOLA (Voice steady but heavy):
You want the truth? Statistics suggest that 1 in 4 Nigerian women have experienced some form of sexual violence before the age of 18. While people say "it happens every few minutes," the real tragedy is that we don't even know the true number. Why? Because less than 10% of cases are ever reported.
JIDE:
1 in 4? That’s a quarter of the female population! Why is the silence so loud?
NNE (Scoffing):
Because of who we have to report to, Jide! You walk into a police station trembling, and you’re met by a desk full of male officers who look at you like you are the criminal. They ask: "What were you wearing?" or "Why were you there at 10 PM?" They don't see a victim; they see a girl who "asked for it."
BISOLA:
Nne is right. The system is patriarchal at its core. Even with the VAPP Act (Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act), enforcement is a nightmare. Most survivors know their attacker - it’s an uncle, a neighbour, a friend, online acquitance or a "benefactor." When they try to speak, the system hits them with a "Retribution Wall." Family members beg them to drop it to "save face." Police officers "lose" files after a bribe.
OLA:
But Bisola, some would argue that certain clothes are... you know, provocative. Doesn't that play a part?
BISOLA (Turning to Ola):
Ola, babies are raped. Grandmothers are raped. Women in full hijabs are raped. This isn't about "provocative clothes" - it’s about power and lack of consequence. If the system doesn't punish the rapist, the system is essentially his accomplice.
JENNIFER:
It’s even worse when you look at "Transactional Survival." Students in secondary schools and universities face "Sex for Marks." Women trying to process a visa or get a business loan are lured into "meetings" that turn into assaults. They stay silent or tell stories to cover up because the society that should protect them is the first to tarnish their reputation.
ELDER EPHRAIM (Lowering his head):
It sounds like a war situation. In war, women are treated as "spoils." Are we saying our peace-time Nigeria treats our daughters like spoils of war?
BISOLA:
Yes, Elder. That is exactly what it is. It’s a war of attrition. Victims are threatened and harassed until they withdraw the case. By the time the court is ready, the survivor is too broken to continue. The system is so rotten that even NGOs and charity organizations are struggling to keep their heads above water. They are fighting a flood with a teaspoon.
EOO (Softly):
We have lost our human sensitivity. We look away because it’s "uncomfortable." But every time we look away, we give another predator a green light.
BISOLA:
The only way forward is to keep this in the public domain. We must force a change by making the silence more uncomfortable than the truth. Until a rapist fears the law more than a woman fears the shame, nothing will change.
JIDE:
Then we keep talking. We don't stop until the system is forced to breathe.
Legal Insight: The "Justice Bottleneck."
To understand why the system fails, we must look at the three levels of failure:
• The Police Level: The lack of "Gender Desks" in many stations means victims are interviewed in public by untrained officers.
• The Social Level: "Compounding an offense" - the illegal act of settling rape cases out of court - is a cultural epidemic in Nigeria.
• The Judicial Level: Slow trials and a high burden of proof often mean the survivor is re-traumatized on the stand while the perpetrator walks free on "technicalities."
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