RAPE AND SEXUAL ABUSE: All Must Join Hands To Stop It – Mrs. Ojo Ade, Pastor Mrs Shade Ajayi

Following incessant cases of rape and sex abuse among the youth and adults in the society, some ministers’ wives have spoken on how to reduce the menace.
Speaking in a special interview with PTL News were Evangelist Mrs. Adenike Ojo Ade, the wife of the renown singer, accordionist and preacher, Evangelist Ojo Ade, and Pastor. Mrs Folashade Ajayi, a Lagos based relationship and sexuality minister. The two in their chosen career and callings are mothers, biologically and spiritually, counsellors, teachers and experts in family affairs.
They were of the opinion that all sectors of the society have got to do to minimize the satanic and demonic evil in the society.
The Pastors’ wives who described rape and sex abuse as the violation of the body of the victims who could be male or female said the occurrences cut across age and social groups of the society.
In recent times there have been several incidences of rape, sex abuse in different parts of the country and in extreme cases some of the incidences end up in the death of the victims.
In recent times there have been cases of the 22-year-old 100 Level undergraduate of the University of Benin Uwaila Omozuwa, who was allegedly raped, and later died from the sustained injury and trauma inflicted on her by her assailants.
Another student identified as Grace Oshiagwu was also reportedly raped and killed in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the third in the state in two weeks. There have been several other cases in other parts of the country,
They attribute the causes to a number of factors among which are inherent bad attitudes in the perpetrators themselves, faulty parenting, broken homes, peer pressures, drugs addiction and cultism. According to Pastor Shade Ajayi, “They are signs of the end time. The devil’s mission is to steal, kill and destroy. In the case of child rape and sexual abuse the victims usually do not have the physical strength to resist their predators. Sometimes, the victims are lured with what they like such as biscuits, sweets, toys or money”
To Mrs Ojo Ade, sex abuse and rape are incidences of weak family, background products of broken homes, I don’t care attitude of the parents, loss of control over children and peer pressures among the youth end up in sex abuse and rape among the youths, while the adults abuse could be attributed to drug abuse, drunkeness or family curses.
“How do you explain fathers having canal knowledge of their female children or a 55 or 60 years old abusing three or four years old sexually? It cannot be anything but demonic, a pure evil,” condemned Mrs. Ojo Ade.
Mrs Ajayi explained further, this evil act is more common with the youth because an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. The hearts of young men who do not have the fear of God get into various youthful exuberance.
In some cases too the ways and manners of female dressing could also attract predators. The duo condemn the way most ladies dress and expose the sensitive parts of their bodies to the opposite sex. This in a way is to advertise themselves to the opposite sex, “they agreed.
It is believed that the entire society has a lot to do to put an end or minimize this menace, calling on the victims themselves, the perpetrators, the parents, the religious organizations and the government as stakeholders.
According to them, religious organizations, churches and mosques, Pastors and Imams have key roles to play in this respect. “The religious houses, pastors in the church, and Imams in the mosque must continue to condemn these uncivilized attitudes and preach against them, before they happen.
Apart from preaching against it, they should lead in prayers and counselling of the youth to run away from abuses”, explained Mrs Ojo Ade.
“Leaders should be bold enough to share the dire consequences of these acts to the youths, so as to refrain them from such satanic temptations,” added Mrs Ajayi.
Pastor E. A. Adeboye of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, reacting to the rape murder of Uwa in Benin has thrown his weight behind whatever could be done to punish the perpetrators of such dastardly acts.
On the part of the parents, the female ministers advised parents to live responsible lives that their children could emulate from them. “Many parents don’t live responsible lives that children could copy,” said Mrs Ojo Ade, adding that “for such parents it is either the father is a drunkard and the mother more or less a prostitute, and they cannot monitor or control their children.
“A parent who has no regard for God who does not serve or worship God, what legacy of godliness does he or she pass to the children,” asked Madam Ojo Ade.
So the parents must lead a responsible live to bequeath to their children. “In the world where everything has been so exposed by the internet, the parents must always be interested in what their children do, who they follow, the kind of phones they use, and what they do on their phones,” Evang. Mrs Ojo Ade counselled.
They also believe that the schools have a role to play in stemming the tide of rape and sexual abuse among the youth in the society.
“Schools should have special sessions where they treat topics that have to do with rape, sex and related topics so as to teach the students how to understand the case of rape, sex abuse and threats when they come, as well as how to report such cases to responsible elders, parents and appropriate authority,” counselled Mrs Ojo Ade who is also a school teacher.
To her, moral lessons and instructions should be taught and enforced, and when the children hear from all angles they would know how to run away from evil.
Finally they believed the government has the biggest of the roles saying the government should create the real enabling environment to stand against rape and sex abuse, they should publicly educate the society on the evil of sex abuse, condemn and create severe laws to punish the perpetrators as well as strengthen the schools to enforce discipline among students.
“Government should go the extra length to condemn bad dressing. In fact they can empower the law enforcement agents to put a control on such habits, not by way of arrest but by condemnation,” opined Mrs Ojo Ade, while it was the submission of Pastor Mrs. Shade Ajayi that government should empower its relevant agencies to monitor such to take approprate actions when it happens. They also suggested that the government should legislate against such barbaric acts.
Lastly they all believed the onus lies on the prospective perperators and victims themselves, saying while the perperators resist the temptation, the prospective victims should learn to report the incidence immediately when it happens, and not to wait for years later as a pay back period to pull down their predators.
“The victims should have forgiven spirit. They should forget about their pasts and forge on with their lives. Our youth should run away from evil knowing this can come back to hunt them later in life, as we can see today. Many highly placed persons are threatened by incidences of rape and sex abuse,” they both agreed.
The larger society are also advised not to ostracize the victims but to accept them back into the society to live a life of purpose and achieve what God has ordained them to achieve.