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Rape and Women’s Sexual Health in Nigeria: The Stark Realities of Being Female in a Patriarchal World

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Historically, women have always been subjugated and oppressed by
men in most cultures in Nigeria. This situation is due to the inequality
in gender relations between men and women. Rape has always been
with mankind throughout the world. However, in recent times, the
incidence of rape has increased in Nigeria. The hegemonic patriarchal
values and practices make it difficult for women who are raped to
obtain justice. Perpetrators often go unpunished even if the victims
have the courage to report the incident. The court acquits most of the
rape offenders on account of the lack of evidence or because the
victim has a ‘questionable’ character. Owing to this, rape victims suffer
in silence due to the stigma and humiliation attached to the public
acknowledgement of rape. This article examines how patriarchy
interlocks with gender relations and inequality to deny justice to rape
victims. The paper looks at the issues of gender and rape and their
implications for the health of the victims. Feminist theory is used to
explain rape, the societal reaction to it and the health outcomes for
the victims. The paper concludes that many health problems suffered
by women in Nigeria are as a result of rape. Public health practitioners
should devise mechanisms of eliciting rape information from victims
so as to effectively manage their health problems. The paper
recommends the need for more practical ways of implementing laws
on violence against women so that victims can obtain justice. Also,
the role of women lawyers and other women’s organizations should
be reassessed.

Detail Information
Publication Information
: Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa.,
Number of Pages
-
ISBN
-
Language
English
ISSN
1024-0969
Subject(s)
Rape
Nigeria
Women’s Sexual Health
Patriarchal World
Female
The Stark Realities
Rape Victims
Stigma
Humiliation
Description
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Citation
Other Information
Type
Article
Part Of Series
-
DOI Identifier
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