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not by strangers, but by people they were acquainted with – a female<br />
friend’s brother; a person who attends church with the victim and is<br />
considered as what some people would refer to as a ‘brother in Christ’<br />
and therefore above sexual immorality; a boyfriend; and a person who<br />
seems to be a good person. At the time the rape occurred the victims<br />
were all unmarried, and they were entering sex for the first time. The<br />
rape event took place in the room of the rapist. In all these cases the<br />
victim protested, though sometimes feebly.<br />
The victims made it clear they did not wish to have sex, but their refusal<br />
was brushed aside. As the rapist insisted on having his way a<br />
struggle ensued and the victim was over-powered in the long run. Contrary<br />
to expectation, victims rarely screamed; perhaps they assumed it<br />
was hopeless to scream. Some reported the event, but others did not<br />
report to anyone at the time. Where there is evidence that the victim reported<br />
the incident, this was not at the police station and culprits were<br />
not punished. In all these particulars the Ga cases conform to the patterns<br />
revealed in the African literature, but they also exhibit particular<br />
nuances – pornography may be used in violent seduction, the rapist<br />
may be an apparently well-behaved person, even a religious person, collaborations<br />
are possible, and violence may have a silver lining.<br />
The Ghanaian material also shows that pregnancies resulted in some<br />
cases and rapists either refused responsibility or asked that the foetus be<br />
aborted. Some victims eventually reconciled and became the rapist<br />
lover. But some never forgave the rapist. Some lost interest in sexual intercourse<br />
and it would take them some time before they recovered from<br />
the trauma.<br />
Boy Child Defilement by Adult Woman<br />
While it is generally assumed among Ghanaians that females do not<br />
rape males, and that in the case of defilement a male is the culprit, however,<br />
the study came across evidence to the contrary. There were accounts<br />
of a female attempting sexual intercourse with a child. The episode<br />
can be labelled as ‘rape’ because the infant victim could not appreciate<br />
what was going on, and could not have consented to the affair or<br />
even resisted. The following account is illustrative.<br />
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