Prior to the out break of the rebel war in Sierra Leone , the incidence of rape was some how isolated due to the infectiveness of the law enforcement agencies in the country. It was very common in those horrible days to see or heard compromised between the perpetrators and the immediate parents of rape victims.
In fact, that particular situation saw so many young girls out of school while others were being forced into early marriages due to their unwanted pregnancy as a result of rape. Apparently, when the rebel war breaks out in 1991, rape became predominant and legalized by the warring factions. Young girls and women beyond the rebel lines in the provinces were forcefully abducted and raped by fighters of every category. There were reports of young girls and women raped by two or three men at the same time and those who failed to yield to the sexual demands of the fighters faced the barrel of the guns or matches. When the rebel war was officially declared in 2001, the erstwhile SLPP government of ex-president Kabbah through the help of donor agencies established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). This was to provide an opportunity for victims and perpetrators to confess and heal their wounds.
On the contrary, raping still holds in some parts of the country despite the TRC report that recommended that women should be protected in their communities.
Recently, the rainbow centre in Freetown offered medical assistance to a four- year- old girl who was allegedly raped by forty-seven- year old Samuel Rasta, a granite stone breaker residing at Kamayamah in the Western part of Freetown .
Eye witness accounts state that Samuel Rasta is a man who likes little children, especially teenagers below the age of ten. How true is that remains unclear until the court proves him otherwise, that is if the matter is charge to court. Samuel Rasta, as he is popularly known allegedly seduced the four- year- old girl in his make-shift hut known as “Pan Bodi” on the 13th February, 2008. This event is just one out of so many cases taking place in the country. There is another case of rape involving Alieu Badarah Jalloh of 12, Philip Street in the Western part of Freetown , who reportedly raped a 15- year- old school going girl child. Alieu, on the 12th December, last year reportedly invited the child to his house on the pretext that he was going to offer her lunch. While in his house to honour the invitation, he held her mouth over- powered her raped her. The matter was reported at the criminal investigation department in Freetown that housed the Family Support Units. In an interview with this columnist, the Father of the victim explained that since he reported the matter at the CID Family Support Unit, the officer in charge has been dragging feet; giving very flimsy excuses of the delay.
There are so many cases of rape in the court, but sadly the perpetrators are walking free on the streets of Freetown causing more havoc on innocent girls. Most of the victims are child petty traders who move from one direction to other selling items to earn a living. Poverty, its level in the country after the war is being perceived as a major contributing factor. Rape victims are lured by men, who would dish out pittances and gifts to their unsuspecting victims and at the end rape them.
Some parents on the other hand exposed their girl child to rape, sexual harassment and other sex activities because of money and any form of resistance from their daughters would bring conflict in the homes between them and their parents.
Another factor to take into account is the dress code for many young girls in the country. The type of dresses that exposed sacred parts of their bodies attracts these perpetrators. In most homes in Freetown , parents allow their daughters to put on all sorts of dresses that can even seduce the minds of men. School going children are expected to always present themselves in a very proper and decent manner. In most cases this is not so, as a result they become victims of rape.
Rape in Sierra Leone is not only restricted to young or school going children, even older women who are married sometimes become victims, either by their husband or men who are out there in search of women. The Human Rights Commission should be able to tackle rape cases in the country. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. The question asked by most rape victims is what is happening to the funds dished out to the commission to address some of these burning issues in the country.
In the opinion of many people, the government of President Ernest Bai Koroma should think about legislating severe punishment against perpetrators about from what has already document in the law books.
There are several negative effects against rape victims apart from public shyness. Most rape victims cannot give birth to children, for other their physical beings are disfigured. For those who can give birth, their babies most time are fatherless as no body wants to claim ownership of a child who is born out of rape. What will be the future of these children? is the million dollar question. As the old adage goes shame kills faster than disease” if this is any thing to go by, something needs to be done to remedy the situation.
