No time is too long to report rape, sexual assault – Don

A Professor of Health Education, Bidemi Idowu says no time is too long or stale to report rape or sexual abuse, as long as there is actually a case to answer .

Idowu said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of delivering the 69th Inaugural Lecture of the Lagos State University (LASU).

The theme of the lecture was; Sexuality: The Savour, the Caution, the Pleasure.

According to her, most girls or women who were just coming out after 10 to 20 years to report a case of abuse might just be doing so because they were then in an era of not reporting such .

“People are now coming out to report rape or sexual assault because they were not enlightened to do so during their era and have a case to prove.

“However, there may not be a case of having to prosecute the perpetrator because there may not be evidence but at least, the culprit has been exposed,” she said.

Idowu noted that most girls or women have been abused at a time or the other in a lifetime but there might not be a penetration.

The professor said rape could be termed `fantasy’ because for some individuals, their minds were already so perverted that they did not derive pleasure except they rape or are raped.

“This however, is not a common phenomenon,” she noted.

According to her, about 35 per cent of women who were raped as minors were also raped as adults, compared to 14 per cent of women without an early rape history.

The don noted that 28 per cent of male rape victims were first raped when they were 10 years old.

Idowu identified the forms of sexual assault that were usually termed as rape include kissing of a sexual nature, touching the other person’s breast, thigh, buttocks, penis, vulva or anus, masturbation of the victim by the perpetrator.

She mentioned also, oral -genital contact, including Cunnilingus, penetration either through the vaginal or anus with a penis, finger or other objects, Exhibitionism and Frottage.

Idowu encouraged rape victims not to relent in exposing the perpetrators even if they ended up not getting justice, as this would expose the culprit and also serve as deterrent to others.

She advised that Counselling unit of universities should be expanded beyond career and academic matters to include issues encompassing family issue and sexuality.

The Professor advised that issue of sexuality should be made priority among staff and students in the university, as it did not concern only rape but was all encompassing.

According to him, this was an exceptional way to develop life skills in students.

Idowu also urged government agents to be bold enough to implement laws passed by past government on child abuse to checkmate the spread of the menace.

Picture caption:

Second left : Prof. Bidemi Idowu, 69th inaugural lecturer, Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, Vice-Chancellor, LASU, other members of the university’s management team at the institution’s 69th inaugural lecture in Lagos

-NAN