Major rape cases had gone down significantly in the last 5 years, up until a few years ago, since 2017. The spike is common among the youth compared to the much older generations. Some rape, attempted rape and defilement cases are happening but don’t get the media coverage the mainstream youth cases are getting. That doesn’t mean though that there aren’t older people committing these atrocities, however, they are more prevalent among the youth.
The main cases making waves are the one of the girl who jumped from the third floor of Mitchell Hall to run from her “friend” turned captor that held her hostage and tried to rape her. The details are horrifying, including the narration of violence and an unidentified band of boys that came in and did nothing about it.
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More so, it wasn’t the boy’s first rodeo. He isn’t the kind of person you would want around your beautiful daughter when he becomes a fully endorsed doctor (if that at all happens). There was also the recent case of the Tanzanian Makerere University student who tricked an elderly female cleaner into his room, locked her in and raped her. He admitted to the charges at the police station.
These are not the only rape cases happening around schools, universities or hostels. Several cases have gone unreported due to fear of ridicule or loss of dignity and shame. This is the ultimate power of the rapists over their victims, they render them helpless and feel there is nothing they can do about it.
A few analysts think this might be due to too much libido (“horn”) among young boys today, and yet they don’t have frequent intercourse. When they get female friends who seem to be “too friendly” and open they misread the signals and try to make a move which is often rejected.
The embarrassment which becomes anger and an already sharpened drive to “get some” must be satisfied, and they resort to rape. Since the victims may be too weak, they fail to fight their attacker off and others who succeed to ward them off, survive, but both types of victims are never the same.
They live with the fear of most boys, keep reliving the moment, and some get unwanted pregnancies, STDs, damage to their organs and so much more.
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What if digitization and social media are part of the cause of increased rape and assault cases?
Today, most youth spend so much time on social media and watching TV, that some of them have forgotten what it is like to keep a human bond or interaction with other people and the opposite sex.
This is a theory though because there are other youth undergoing the same lifestyles but haven’t resorted to rape probably because they have a conscience to see it as a horrible act or restrain because of their upbringing and religion.
Several studies have shown that digital media and the use of social media gradually etch people away from society. They become more introverted and self-preserved, making it harder for them to interact with each other and their surroundings.
It might be easier to flirt around on dating apps and social media, but most youth exhibit low self-esteem on physical dates and scenarios. Fighting sexual urges is difficult, especially when faced with people you are sexually attracted to.
