The Nigerian Girls Guide Association (NGGA), has urged victims of rape and other forms of gender-based violence to speak up and seek justice rather than keep quiet and allow the vice to fester.

Dr. Helen Obi, the State Commissioner for NGGA in Anambra, made the call in an interview with Newsmen in Awka on Friday.

Obi, a law teacher at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka, said existing laws against sexual abuse including rape should be strengthened and strictly enforced to deter perpetrators from engaging in such acts.

She said the major cause for such pervasive sexual conduct was the patriarchal system of the Nigerian society which had seen women as objects to be owned, subdued, and abused.

According to the Commissioner, every girl should be protected against sexual abuse including rape and girls should speak out against rape.

“Victims should report cases of rape to the Police and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).

“There are laws that protect them, they should go to hospitals for investigation, ensure forensic evidence is taken at the hospital.

“Traditional gender roles prescribing female submission and male dominance are linked to rape, in our society, such as a man must have sex to prove his masculinity.

“Lack of safety measures in villages where women have to venture out at night because there are no toilet facilities at home, this puts them at risk.

“Again, there is a lack of sex education among adolescent boys who have the urge to explore without being sensitive to the emotions or disposition of victims.

“Sexually obsessed rapists don’t consider women as human beings but as an object that can be violated with impunity,” she said.

Obi dismissed the argument that women were part of their problems because of the suggestive attire they put on at times, saying that rape often occurred with violence and should be seen as a crime.

She said men should jettison the wrong notions that having sexual encounters with women, even if forcefully, made them superheroes.

“It doesn’t matter what someone is wearing, or how they are acting, no one asks for her to be raped. People who sexually assault often use force, threat, or injury.

“Rape is a crime of violence and control that stems from a person’s determination to exercise power over another.

“Being under the influence of alcohol or drugs is not an invitation for non-consensual sexual activity, a person in a vulnerable position does not choose to be sexually assaulted.

“Men like to boast about their sexual encounter, equating them with conquest,” she said.

The Girls Guide leader called for more aggressive sex education for men and enlightenment on the legal implications of sexual violence.

She also said the interrogation should go more to the accused and not the victim.

“We need to question the accused and not the victim, the society needs to stigmatize the perpetrator instead of the victim.

“Sensible sensitivity is essential to counter this crime which is rightly classified as the worst crime against womanhood.

“Victims and others who have not experienced rape are to stay safe.

“Victims may experience extreme emotions like sadness, anger, rage, or extreme calmness.

“They should overcome it as soon as possible for the sake of their health and go for continuous counseling,” she said.