Moral and Pastoral Approach to Rape and Violence against Women

Abstract

Violence is a common issue in the contemporary world. Nations and communities are seeking ways by which to curb it. It appears to have been on the increase in the past decade. This is not only in Africa, but in the whole world. Generally, when people speak of violence, what comes to mind is physical violence, which includes armed robbery and the use of other types of physical force on the victims there are some forms of violence in which women are the major targets. These include physical assaults like battering and sometimes actual murder. The media carries numerous reports of men being arrested after physically assaulting or killing their wives. Violence against women is also expressed through sextiM assaults, as is the case with rape or attempted rape. The reported cases are mainly extra-familial, that is, cases in which men rape women or girls who are not their own wives or daughters. This does not mean that sexual violence does not take place within families, occasionally, there have been cases of fathers raping their own daughters. Violence against women therefore remains a reality in many parts of the world including Africa. This violence includes a wide range of abuses and harassment, such as physical battering, sexual and psychological abuse, harassment at places of work, female feticides and infanticides, infant neglect, dowry-related violence, female genital mutilation and forced prostitution. Few people recognize that violence against women is rooted in the society where the status of women is not favourable. Sexual violence tends to be seen in isolation as the act of the few perverted sex monsters.