liens - GID

ated by ideological and professional leanings and interests. Although
some philosophers (Davis 1984) do not think it is so serious an offence
as to attract the stiff penalties that some American states prescribe, the
best answer would be that the severity, and its immediate and long-term
effects could be context specific. 1 For post-menarche victims, rape can
result in unwanted pregnancies leading to unsafe unorthodox abortion
for a traumatised young woman seeking to obliterate sad memories and
avoid the stigma associated with being a rape victim.
Unsafe abortion, a common phenomenon in African countries, has a
whole gamut of unwholesome outcomes. And though evidence of rape
is sufficient to qualify for legal abortion by a qualified medical practitioner,
young rape victims who subsequently become pregnant are unlikely
to avail themselves of this opportunity because of the relatively
high costs, as well as ignorance of the law. 2 Wayside abortion, use of
local recipes involving cocktail of harmful substances or forceful termination
of the condition can lead to death and permanent impairment
of the reproductive facility. As rape is associated with unprotected sex,
exposure to HIV infection and STDs is enhanced. Rape and sexual defilement
therefore have wider implications for reproductive health and
family planning, as Moore et al. (2007) remarked. 3 Studies in fact link
earlier sexual abuse to risk-taking behaviours, including other nonconsensual
sexual experiences, multiple partnerships and unprotected sex
later on in life (Varga: 2001). Thus rape in certain circumstances, such
as what prevails in parts of Africa, can be bad indeed.
However, some scholars commenting on the penalties that such offenses,
particularly rape, attract in some countries with such stringent
penalties have argued that the level of severity is exaggerated and not
only lacks a basis but also make it difficult to secure convictions against
rapists since judges and jurists would then insist on incontrovertible
1
Long after the event, when a female victim has seemed to set aside the bad memories,
reminders can come from her child asking about his or her parentage and feeling
resentful and aggrieved that he or she was not the product of a recognized union.
This should show that the victim is not exclusively the raped teenager, and that rape
can be like a scar.
2
Sedgh (2010) has an explanation of the law on abortion.
3
One need not remark that rape lacks the victim’s consent, is often unplanned and
hurried. Thus contraceptive devices are often out of question, especially for young
female victims. Poor knowledge of reproductive health may not therefore be the only
factor in the low use of contraception among youth, contrary to the accepted view
referred to by Okereke (2010).
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