RAPE: THE INHUMANE ACT & OUR RESPONSIBILITY.
WRITTEN BY DR. HESPEY
INTRODUCTION:
Rape as it is known by sensible ones is an illegal act of sexual intercourse with an individual without his or her consent, it can either be via force or the threat of force.
In many jurisdictions, the crime of rape has been considered to be an act of sexual assault, which also encompasses acts that fall short of intercourse.
Rape was long considered to be caused by uncontrolled sexual desire, but it is now understood as a pathological assertion of power over a victim.
BIBLICAL INSIGHTS:
It is very glaring that the Bible never covers up neither does it ignores sexual assault. In the real fact, biblical law shows how the Lord takes up the cause of the victim and the vulnerable. The book of Deuteronomy 22:25-27 safeguarded the survivor of sexual assault from being unjustly blamed or ignored. In ancient Israel, this law established a pattern, an ethical framework by which God’s people could discern specific situations that it didn’t specifically address. And like all of God’s laws, it reveals his characters.
The two rape case I will like to refer to in the Bible are that of The Unnamed Concubine in Judges 19, and Tamar in 2 Samuel 13.
Biblical law was revolutionary for the dignity of women. The Scripture we read recognized rape as a violent crime. In fact, biblical law considers rape in the same vein with murder. In this case, a rape victim was the non-consenting victim of premeditated violence. The attacker alone is held guilty. Because she was overpowered and did not consent and this make the victim to be considered blameless.
Consent is the key factor here. Many women who have been assaulted share how they froze during the attack. They couldn’t move. They couldn’t even scream. And they didn’t even understand why. In the aftermath, they wonder if they did something wrong. I believe this passage of Scripture comes to their defense. The issue was not how the woman expressed her lack of consent. The issue was that she did not consent. She was overpowered, exploited, and unwilling. And, according to the principle expressed in this law, she was innocent.
OUR RESPONSIBILITIES:
For the Israelite woman who was raped, this text ensured that she was heard, that She was believed and given justice. These laws created an environment in which a survivor of assault already knew that she would be safe and protected by the community. In our own communities, this should reinforce our responsibility to treat accusations of rape as credible.
God was not silent about rape. He defended the woman who had been sexually assaulted. He believed and protected her. And so must we.
Don't be silent as parents & guardians, teaching your girl-child ways by which she can avoid being a victim is not enough. Teach your male-child to learn to value women. Teach them to be considerate by putting their sisters into the shoe of whoever has been raped. Let them know it's just a few minutes fun to them, but a lifelong agony to the victim. And most importantly, let them know what God require of them. Make them shun sexual assaults at all cost.
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© ODERINDE TAIWO JOEL
DR. HESPEY (2020)
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