Last night as my mom , the maid and I sat watching tv. My mom mentioned how 2 girls were raped a few days ago by 3 guys on their way home .The maid instantly jumped in and said
”They knew the guys , they didn’t just get kidnapped and raped , so they deserve what happened to them”.
Before I could respond , my mom was already at it :
” Just because they knew them does not give them the right to rape .Would you be okay with getting raped just because you were out with a guy ?. No one deserves to be raped and those men should be sentenced for life”.
It was only then I realized how Rape and teen Pregnancies have become fairly common over the last few years in this part of the world.
I cannot even begin to put my frustration into words when it comes to rape. But when in Somalia, Rape takes on a whole new dimension. Rape in Somalia is a quick way to make money for some. You are probably wondering how ? . Let me Introduce you to the Clan Ideology : If any harm happens to you , your Clan serve as your Justice system.There will be a meeting with the victim’s clan Seniors and the Offenders clan seniors. They will discuss the amount of damage caused and the most suitable ruling. Usually the only suitable ruling is a certain sum of money set by the Victim’s Clan. So when a girl does get raped , the rapist does not get punished in any way or form. However the two clans have a sit together and decide on the number of dollars to be payed as a form of compensation.Now here’s the interesting part .This so called compensation for the girl never makes it into her hands , However it is divided among the Clan members and the closest it get’s to the lawful recepient is through her father . A mere 2-4% of the actual compensation.the offender always walks away free of charge with a simple scolding not to repeat the offense so as his Clan do not have to pay anymore money. Behold the Clan/tribe Ideology!!!!. That is only One of the many reasons why Rape is so frequent around this place. Another reason being that very thinking so many people share ; TURNING THE VICTIM INTO THE CULPRIT.
“Oh why was she out after 9pm” .” why was she with a guy in the first place” .” Why was she walking in that part of town alone” .” Why was she dressed in that manner”She brought it on herself ,SHE WAS ASKING FOR IT , SHE DESERVES IT !! SAY NO TO SYMPATHY , SAY NO TO LOGIC , SAY NO TO REASONING!!!
I just don’t understand these statements. Nobody wants to be raped . It could happen to anyone really . It could happen at 12pm noon, to a woman dressed like a ninja. It is society that is messed up for trying to make excuses for such kind of people. Why not make excuses for the victim instead. Why not Question the offender’s behavior. Why not for once put aside all the sexism and Just say right from wrong.
About a year ago I did a post on teen girls burning themselves for what I considered silly reasons .[ here’s the post ]. Back then Rape was not so common, However there was a reasonable number of teen pregnancies.
Back in march this year I was assigned to the Gyn/Obs ward at the general Hospital in town , we did 6 days a week , 7 hour shifts for 3 months. The one thing that caught my attention during that period was the number of little girls that were coming in pregnant. Before this time , I was only familiar with the daily gossip that went around town but what I was not aware of was the actual scale of this issue.But what made this even more interesting is how when they were asked about the father of the child , Most of them responded in the same manner :
He refused to claim responsibility for the child and is in no way planning to be a part of this.
Most of these girls were lured in with dreams of being married and finding her happily ever after. They were all promised love and support , only to be used and dumped. For those of you that are sitting there thinking “Oh well she did consent to it ,She should take responsibility for it .” Isn’t the fact that she is going through with the pregnancy while still in school enough proof of her owning up to her mistake. But my question is why not place the same harsh stigmas on the other person involved,Afterall it was not a pen that impregnated her. It is that guy you make excuses for time and time again
” Oh he was young and naive” .” He will grow to be a fine gentleman” .“She seduced him into it , he would never have done it otherwise”
Rape is the worst crime that can happen to a person, period. The Somali system has great flaws, and only the younger generation can change things once we are the 'elders'. The victim's parents are partially to blame because they not only refuse to report the crime and have it solved in court so the rapist gets jail time, but also accept monetary offers and let the rapist walk away. The sad thing is that usually money is the only viable option if a clan feud is to be avoided. I rarely think of violence, but the deepest and scariest corners of my imagination are reserved for rapists...and the ideas that come across my mind sometimes scare me.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any solutions to the clan methodology?
I had the same idea as you a while back . And I wondered why the girl's family did not report it . But the thing is the Justice system is once again run by a clan .And sometimes the same people who are justice providers , the police, Judges and so forth could be from "The enemy's clan" or simply are the rapists "family". Not only does this Clan ideology hinder every aspect of the Somali economy , It causes chaos with the slightest tip of the scales. I think my solution is creating a generation that are not so rooted into all of this . Parents should not spoon feed hate into the minds of their children . There should be no segregation when it comes to land . Somalis need to stop making borders and claiming free land as a certain clans . The education system is also another place that can be fixed. Students should be treated equally when in school. If a teacher is discriminating against a child simply because of clan He/She should be punished appropriately .
ReplyDeleteWhen we can raise children to view each other as equals then only will we have a solution the clan ideology. I could go on forever but the most important thing is We need the younger generation to not follow in the footsteps of their fathers and forefathers.
We need to start viewing each other as humans before anything else.