Rape; a sad reality in our society

TUDUETSO TEBAPE | Tuesday June 1, 2010 00:00

'I knew the guy who raped me when I was 17 years old- what they call acquaintance rape - and although I did have a crush on him, I wasn't ready to have sex with him. I had always heard about rape victims who became afraid of men and did not want to have any kind of association with them, but for me it was quite the opposite. I became very promiscuous. My all too frequent association with men might have increased the possibilities of what happened to me two years later- I was sodomized. I became very depressed, had anxiety issues and was put on medication; my relationships with men were less that quality.  Eventually, I took myself off medication and decided alcohol and drugs were a better medication for me. Almost 10 years later, I still seek counseling for a number of emotional issues, and although the memory of my violation is still there, it's not as vivid as it used to be. Have I healed completely? I don't really think so.'

Naledi is one of many other victims, in this country. As unfortunate as it is, statistics show that rape is actually on the increase.

Botswana Police statistics show that the number of rape cases reported from the beginning of this year until April 19th 2010 is 529. This number is an increase from last year during the same period when reported rape cases totalled 500. An activist website, Speakout.co.za published an article titled, Rape in Botswana: A National Shame says; 'rape has been increasing at an annual rate of five percent per annum since 1982' these figures are quoted from Emang Basadi who conducted a survey on rape in 1994. SpeakOut.com further notes, 'In Botswana, an average of two cases of rape are reported a day/ the judiciary system and its support services spend at least 30% of their time on cases involving violence against women.'

Of the 529 rape cases reported to Botswana Police since January 2010, only 184 arrests have been made.Because the arrests made are quite low as compared to the cases involved, many rape victims live in fear of repeat attacks because their assailants are still lurking around. For the victims, they have to endure emotional scars that do not just disappear.

Rape, in the Mirriam-Webster dictionary online, is defined as, 'sexual intercourse forced on a person.' It can be committed by a stranger, someone you know (acquaintance rape), a relative (incest), unto a minor by an adult (molestation, statutory rape).

It is however common for rape victims not to report to the police due to issues of shame and sometimes because of a lack of faith in the justice system and its ability to punish the perpetrators.

Current statistical information on how many rape cases Botswana Police believe go unreported was not available at the time of conducting research on this article because unfortunately, such investigations are not conducted by Botswana Police services, but to give an international scope to this problem, information from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) in the United States says, 'only 37% of all rapes are reported to the police. U.S. Justice Department statistics are even lower, with only 26% of all rapes or attempted rapes being reported to law enforcement officials.'

If such a developed country, with services readily available to its publics, has such a low number of cases reported to the police one can only imagine how Botswana fares as many people still complain of the poor level of service and slow turning of the wheels of justice?

Australian Psychologists Burgess and Holmstrem documented a 'Rape Trauma Syndrome' experienced by rape victims after their assault. They found two phases of adjustment following rape or attempted rape. They call these 'the acute phase and the long term reorganisation phase, both of which are stress reactions to a life threatening situation. Immediately following the rape they found that an equal number of women had an 'expressed' style where they showed feelings of fear by crying, smiling, sobbing or a 'controlled' style where the woman was calm and subdued. The primary emotion expressed by victims is one of fear. Most say that they felt they were going to be killed or badly injured.

In the reorganisation phase women develop increased motor activity, changing their jobs, home or lifestyle as a defensive reaction to the assault. Nightmares relating to the life threatening nature of the assault and the powerlessness and alienation are common. The development of phobic reactions to situations reminiscent of the rape also occur. Some mistrust of men with subsequent avoidance and hesitation, along with a variety of sexual difficulties may develop. Victims are often concerned about the effects of the rape on their close interpersonal relationships wondering how this will affect them.'

One has to wonder what goes on in the mind of a rapist; why do they rape? An article written by Ryder Gabathuse published in Mmegi Newspaper; dated 11 April 2007 sought to answer this question and engaged experts to debate on this issue:

'University of Botswana (UB) academic and social work lecturer, Log Raditlhokwa, views rape as a complex issue in the sense that rapists are different and that there are different factors that influence them. He says there are instances in which a criminal will raid a house with the sole purpose of stealing, only to find a woman alone in the house.

Raditlhokwa says there is a certain group of men who enjoy it when they apply force on a woman as a prelude to the actual act of rape. To them, violence is essential to sex without which there is no gratification.

To such a category, the bewilderment and horror of a victim is what guarantees enjoyment.  In some instances, Raditlhokwa thinks rape originates in what he terms sexual illiteracy; and that is that some men rape women thinking that immediately there is penetration; a woman will agree to the act and fail to report the crime to the police. 'Some even think that a woman would give in and consent to the act; others even think that since a woman is likely to enjoy the sex act, she would not report,' he points out.' * Not her real name.