Summary

Women under the auspices of the University of Uyo Women Association on Thursday marched round the streets of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital to protest against rape and other sexual violence against women.

The protesters who were dressed in black T-shirts chanted solidarity slogan, “Say no to rape, say no sexual violence.”

Wife of the Vice-Chancellor and President of the association, Mrs Rosalyn Essien lamented that the once admirable moral fabric of the African traditional society had in recent times been blighted by the depressing act of rape carried out by the male gender.

She said, “All categories of females, from babies to toddlers, infants, teenagers, young ladies, middle-aged women, to grannies, have suffered varying act of male sexual violence while perpetrators have included family members, neighbours, landlords, the police and other security forces.

“No single individual, organisation, foundation or government can stop the epidemic except by responding to the responsibility of tackling the problem collectively.”

Article in Punch Newspaper

Photo gallery

Music Video

Speech by Mrs Rosalyn Enefiok Essien

Protocol

The once admirable moral fabric of our traditional society has in recent times been blighted by depressing acts of rape predominantly carried out by the male gender. All categories of females - from babies to toddlers, infants to teenagers, young ladies to middle-aged women, mothers to grannies - have suffered varying acts of male sexual violence, assault and abuse from the cache of fathers, brothers, male caregivers, relatives, teachers, pastors, among others. Rape has been rampant, trivialized and condoned in our society that it has fast transformed to a “culture”, assuming the trajectory of a “new normal.” It is sad to note that despite the sustainable surge in this grievous crime, statistics on rape remain impoverished because it has been largely unreported and underreported due to a prevailing structure that the attracts fame to the predator and shame to the victim. This disgusting reality has provided necessary and sufficient attraction for the University Women Association (UWA) to ventilate its rection in the form of a social protest.

UWA is fulfilling a substantial part of its social mandate by gathering here this morning to lend its voice to the trending local, national and global advocacy against rape. We are here to extend the frontiers of the existing social movement against rape and drag it using a speech-act process from the de-politicized through the politicized to the securitized. We submit that it has already been very difficult for the female gender to survive an enduring patriarchal society with all its oppressive structures, thus, consolidating it with an abusive and abrasive rape culture is pushing that unique gender to a threshold that attracts consolidated resistance. To this end, we have chosen today to make our renewed commitment towards resisting a society where it is threatening and shameful to be a female.

While the recent life imprisonment penalty for rapist by the Government of Akwa Ibom State is highly commendable, I suggest that the legislation should be laced with penalties for victims, people, agencies and institutions that either fail to report rape cases or under-report it. Furthermore, female victims should not only be provided immediate medical help but instant legal help.

I applaud the efforts of various civil society groups, ministries, agencies, parastatals, security agencies and the media who have been at the frontlines and headlines to ensure that the female gender is free from rape and the fear of rape.

I thank you for coming, listening and acting!

Mrs Rosalyn Enefiok Essien
President UWA