Philip Nwosu
A Christian group, Religious Sisters of Charity, a religious order of reverend sisters in the Catholic Church, has condemned recent incidents of rape around the country. The group called on the government to institute laws that will curb the vice.
The reverend sisters spoke during a march against rape, organised by the congregation of Religious Sisters of Charity, in Satellite Town, Lagos. Other protesters also carried placards to condemn rape in Nigeria.
The reverend sisters marched from the Archangel Catholic Church, Satellite Town, to Oriade Local Council Development Area (LCDA), where they spoke to the representative of the chairman of the LCDA on why the incidence of rape around the area and other parts of the country should be taken seriously.
They called for the protection of the girl child, warning that rape was barbaric, crude and a criminal offence, and those who indulge in it must desist from such acts.
On behalf of the Religious Sisters of Charity, Reverend Sister Justina Nelson said the girl child was robbed of her dignity and her entire being when raped, explaining that there was need to collaborate with the government to eradicate the menace.
On behalf of Akiola Hassan, chairman of Oriade Local Council Development Area, Ajayi Bashiru, head of the health section of the LCDA, said the LCDA would support the church towards eradicating the vice.
He said rape was an ugly act that should not be allowed to thrive in the Nigerian society. He urged the church to ensure that the message reached the society.
The Catholic Church had in a recent message condemned the spate of rape, regretting that rape cases targeting women in Nigeria have been on the rise.
The Metropolitan Archbishop of Lagos, Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins, had described the increased cases of the crime of rape around Nigeria as appalling and reprehensible.
Archbishop Martins described rape as an affront to God who created girls and women, and an affront to the sacredness of the bodies of victims.
He said: “The Holy Scriptures and the church down through the ages have condemned all sexual perversion, including rape. The church has always taught that rape deeply wounds the respect, freedom, physical and moral integrity of the victim. It causes grave damage to the victim, sometimes for life. Rape is an intrinsically evil act that is even more grave and condemnable when inflicted on children either by parents (incest) or those who exercise any form of authority over them, especially those responsible for their education.”
A statement released recently in Lagos, signed by the Archdiocesan Director of Social Communications, Rev. Fr. Anthony Godonu, on behalf of the Archbishop, underlined that urgent measures must be taken to stop violence against women and children, recalling everyone’s responsibilities.
“Parents, religious bodies and non-governmental organisations must deliberately teach the boy-child respect for women; concerned government agencies must pay attention to suggestive contents that sexualize girls in musical videos as well as enforce more strict restrictions on pornographic materials that are so easily available on the Internet.
“Each person must also resist the common view that people must satisfy whatever urge or desire they have, as if we are lower animals that have no control over their desires and urges. Everyone must also advocate justice for victims of rape and severest possible punishment for rapists.”
The Archbishop called on the Nigeria Police to ensure justice for victims of rape and non-governmental organisations and health workers across the country to join hands with other relevant professionals bodies to offer care and necessary counselling to victims of rape in order to help them overcome the trauma of the sad experience.