Another woman was reportedly killed in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, after she was allegedly ganged raped by four animals in men's clothing (real men respect the dignity of a fellow human). "Mama Oliver", as she was popularly called, represents one case too many in an environment where we are quick to blame the victims, and find some excuse for perpetrators of sexual violence. The national outrage in India following a sexual violence where a woman was ganged raped in a bus and eventually died, prompted every organ of the State and the populace into action. Consequent to that incident, the Indian Parliament just recently passed a landmark law that "sets tougher penalties for rapists and for police officers who refuse to file a woman’s complaint of rape, as well as criminalizing offenses such as stalking, voyeurism and acid attacks".
What are we doing about this incessant cases of sexual violence in our country? Why do we carry on as if one more case is just another insignificant statistics in our "big" country? Why is it that our elected officials and government functionaries are not talking about this malady and doing something about it? We are still stuck with archaic laws on sexual violence, and a situation where there is lack of specialized personnel and facilities for attending to the needs of survivors of sexual violence. Why are we not investing enough in the totality of well-being of our people? Where is our outrage?
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