Oluwatosin Akinsanmi
As rape cases seem to be on the increase in the country, Pastor Alo Olatokunboh Akin has said that the surge in the assault can only be curbed by the help of the Holy Spirit, stating that human’s will is weak and limited to control the dictates of sin.
In an online publication tagged “Say no to Rape”, the Anchorman for Transformation Hour Network International, Pastor Alo Olatokunboh Akin, called for the need for man to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
“Many people still need to surrender their lives to Jesus; man cannot control sin (Satanic Influence and Nature) in the energy of the flesh. It is only through the help of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus will send into your life when you accept Him,” said Pastor Alo.
He construed rape as being a sexual assault done forcefully against someone without their consent which includes date, gang rape, spousal rape, rape of children, serial rape and rape by deception.
“Rape is to force someone to have sex against their will. Wikipedia defines rape as a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of penetration carried out against a person without the person’s consent.
“The act can be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or against a person who is incapable of giving valid consent.”
Pastor Alo noted that there were many reasons rapist hurt their victims through sexual violence which ranges from pleasure in humiliating the victims, expressing the rapist’s anger, dominating people and physical attraction by women’s dressing.
“A research on sexual violence that can be accessed on Wikipedia shows that “the goal of the rapist is to humiliate, debase, and hurt their victims, they express their contempt for their victim through physical violence and profane language. For this rapist, sex is a weapon to defile and degrade the victim, rape constitutes the ultimate expression of their anger – anger rape.
“For some rapists, their intent is to assert their competencies. The power rapist relies upon verbal threats, intimidation with weapons, and only uses the amount of force necessary to subdue the victim. Mostly, those that have been convicted for this vice have been found to be having anger at women, having the need to control or dominate them and also some are finely attracted by the dressing of women,” he pointed out.
He added that the environment also contributed a part in the sexual assault being done in the society while he also mentioned that rape might have the undertone of money rituals.
“The environment where a person has stayed or is staying also contributes to this violence. Environments that are physically violent, emotionally unsupportive and characterised by competition for scarce resources have been associated with sexual violence. Recently, we also realised that in some settings and territories, forced sex (rape) is also or can be used for money rituals.”
Going down Biblical records, Pastor Alo pointed out that God is against such violation and likewise stated the punishments meted out for the occurrence.
“The first person that forcefully slept with a person in the Bible was Shechem in Genesis 34:2, the Bible says that when he took her and lay with her, he defiled her. The word ‘defiled’ is from the Hebrew word ‘anah’ which means to afflict, oppress, be afflicted, be bowed down, to be put down, become low, to be depressed, be downcast, to be afflicted.
“This means forced sex, otherwise called rape makes the person to be depressed, downcast, afflicted, lowly (this is not humility). The end result of this action of Shechem was his death. When God was giving the Israelites the guidelines for their social lives, HE vehemently kicked against rape and every other sexual violence for that matter.”
Alo, therefore, urged government at all levels to make deliberate moves in putting an end to the social menace while he also advised parents to be vigilant over their wards.
“The government has to take the case of rape more seriously, not only because it’s becoming rampant, but because it’s unlawful. Parents should be more watchful over their female children (at home, in church, mosque, on the streets, and in school, among others.)
Ladies need to be careful with the way they dress and the time they move around – men are mostly moved by what they see (though many people have argued against the dressing of ladies, at the same time, it has a role to play), they should also be more spiritual and prayerful. Public use of banned substances should be enforced by the government at all levels. Christians should be role models and good examples to the rest of the world.”
Apart from the recent rape and gruesome murder of 22-year-old Vera Omozuwa in Edo State and 18-year-old Barakat Bello in Oyo state, there have been other reported cases of rapes recorded in Nigeria.
Lately, a 12-year-old girl, (name withheld), was raped by four masked men in her residence at Ajah, Lagos state. According to reports, the victim was raped while playing alone in the compound and was left bleeding from injuries she sustained in her private parts.
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