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Vaidah Mashangwa
AS we commemorate 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence as well as International Human Rights Day, it is imperative to look into the reasons why some men continue to rape women and girls despite legislation being in place to deter perpetrators from committing such crimes.

Rape is one of the worst social ills that have thwarted the fulfilment of human rights for women and girls.

A significant number of men are astonished when they are accused of rape. They feel sexual intercourse is part and parcel of their interaction with women. Men at times fail to recognise that a woman is in control of her body and has the right to choose a sexual partner.

They feel that when a woman willingly consents to go to a men’s apartment, then it’s an indication that she has consented to sexual intercourse.

To them, her resistance might be to provoke the man to reinforce his power over her. As such, some men fail to draw a line between rape and consensual intercourse. The fact that they managed to have sex with a woman is all that matters to them.

To most perpetrators, women are objects to be used in pursuit of their own sexual gratification. They don’t think about the impact or the consequences of such acts on the victim.

Some men see women as objects of exploitation. The raping of women and girls has over the years become routine and is now deeply ingrained in them. Some rapists feel that it is the woman who places herself in a vulnerable position.

In a recent study of 646 rape cases, one researcher pointed out that about one in five (19 percent) were victim precipitated. The researcher maintained that in some instances, the victim agreed to a sexual relationship but retracted before the actual act or did not object strongly enough when the perpetrator made the suggestion.

Despite all these explanations though, rape is rape and factors related to rape cannot be discussed using the word precipitation. According to a book, Deviant Behaviour, regardless of the numerous reasons that may be cited by the perpetrators for raping women and girls, men are always responsible for the rape cases.

The fact is men need to control their sexual desires. They allege that their sexual desires are overwhelming and uncontrollable and resort to raping as a result. Men are highly capable of controlling their lust yet they pretend that they are unable to.

The rise in reported rape cases may or may not represent a rise in the actual incidents of rape. The rise may be mostly due to a greater willingness of women to report rape than was true in the past.

This shows that there is a growing refusal by women to be passive victims of male sexual aggression. Even when it may entail humiliation, and very often does, women are willing to face it. At times, once they report they are subjected to isolation and labelling by friends, relatives and members of the community.

The more women are aware of the legislation that protect them from rape and sexual violence, the greater the pride and self-confidence to report such incidents.

The problem is that perpetrators in many cases may be friends, relatives, parents and acquaintances, of the victims, thereby lowering reportage of such incidents.

Victims raped by strangers are more likely to report such violations. It has been noted that rape cases recorded and reported to the police are biased and tend to reflect more on stranger rapes. Most families protect their family members whenever they commit such crimes

According to a report by SOS Children’s Villages International, one key reason for child sexual abuse is the family’s traditional and cultural beliefs.

Some fathers rape their daughters with the belief that it will make them rich or enhance their business initiatives. At times, this is done out of desperation as traditional healers sometimes advise the father to sleep with his virgin daughter in order to get richer.

Some girls have been victims of cultural beliefs. In order to repay avenging spirits, a girl may be given away to an old man who ends up abusing her sexually. But due to awareness campaigns, many families have stopped such harmful cultural practices.

In some societies, men are socialised to be aggressive and violent towards women, this is then inculcated in the minds of young men who also grow up to be abusive to their partners.

However, it is important to note that cultural values can be adapted, shaped, transformed or ignored by an individual, hence raping women and girls cannot be fully justified by harmful cultural terms.

Apart from that, the situational dimension contributes to the abuse of women and girls. A good example is where women and girls travel alone at night instead of travelling in the company of others.

At times some women fall victim to rape because of engaging in activities outside the home at night. However, it must be understood that most rapists are not mentally challenged though some when convicted or before conviction pretend that they are mentally challenged.

Statistics from police reveal that there was an increase in the rape of juveniles. In 2013, the number of juveniles raped increased to 3,297 from 3,168 in 2012. In the first quarter of 2014, a total of 946 juveniles were raped as compared to 408 recorded in the first quarter of 2013. Such statistics are quite shocking. There is need to report incidents of rape to the Victim Friendly Unit.

Vaidah Mashangwa is the Provincial Development Officer, Ministry of Women Affairs Gender and Community Development. She can be contacted on 0772 111592 or via email [email protected]