Beyond the castration option

‘Oh, Ya Allah, how did we get to this?’ I asked rhetorically, addressing no one in particular. I had no idea Tahir was passing by my door and had heard my question. The next thing was, he had walked into my room and was standing beside the bedroom chair I sat on.

‘How did we get where?’ He asked peeping at the newspaper page I was reading. I lifted it up to let him to have a better look before I replied.

‘I just couldn’t believe what I saw Hubby dear, four out of five news items on this crime page are rape reports. By this I mean they are stories of young women, underaged girls and even toddlers, getting defiled by all manners of immoral men, including a blind man. Can you believe it, a blind man finding a way to forcefully defile a female, just because she’s a female? What is this world becoming?’ I wailed.

‘I understand your pain Bint. It’s truly unfortunate that rape has become so rampant and all kinds of men are joining the ranks of the depraved. I wonder what’s making them do it. I mean it doesn’t make sense that full adult men will seek carnal pleasure in a little child, a toddler who does not even have an idea of what it’s all about.’ Tahir replied, walking over to sit, facing me, on the edge of my bed.

‘Honestly it doesn’t, and while our society is ready to excuse men who raped matured young women on the grounds that the victims were indecently dressed, so they caused it on themselves, or they went to dangerous places and put themselves in harm’s way; what can they say about those who waylay and defile respectable married women or virtual infants who know nothing about sexual relations?

Some argue that such offenders are not in their senses, they are men on drugs. Others say are driven by watching pornography which makes them go for any female they see, but are these any reasons to consider when the offenders are directly responsible for the situation that makes them commit the offense? Who sent them to take drugs or watch porn?’ I demanded.

‘Again you are right Bint. No amount of excuses can excuse the men who defile women, no matter their mental or psychological state. The thing to do is to prosecute and jail them. It’s the only thing that can deter them.’ Tahir offered.

‘No Hubby dear, I beg to defer because despite the number of arrests being made, the crime of rape is only increasing, at an alarming rate nationwide. I don’t think conventional punishments will be an effective deterrence anymore. Last time I’d campaigned for castration, believing that when the offending weapon is no longer there, these morally-deprived men will not be able to harm anyone. And my call has found echoes in many places because lots of other concerned individuals and groups had suggested the same thing. But even the fear that we are calling for their castration has not stopped these beasts from attacking poor, defenceless females. Therefore today I make bold to say that we should go beyond the castration option to summary execution. Yes rapists should be killed on conviction and I guarantee that this will surely end the scourge of female defilement in this country.’ I declared, heatedly.

‘It’s just that our laws do not prescribe capital punishment for rape.’ Tahir observed.

‘But we can make new laws, can’t we? If we mobilise our lawmakers well enough we can get them to pass a law that will ensure the death penalty for rapists. In any case it’s already there in sharia law, since the punishment for adultery is death on conviction, and what is rape but a non-consensual adultery? And that’s what makes it even worse because the offender forced the crime on his unwilling victim.

Then there is the additional possibility of the victim ending up with a number of negative consequences which include an unwanted pregnancy, a dose of sexually transmitted disease, a permanent disfigurement of her private part due to young age and the lifelong trauma of being forcefully defiled. For all of these reasons, you have to agree with me that nothing short of the death penalty is what our rapists deserve. And nothing short of it can deter aspiring rapists from the crime.’ I concluded.

‘You are right Wifey dearest. For a while there, you sounded like senior advocate defending a rape victim. I wish you luck in the campaign to make rape a capital offense. Just let me know what we can do and I will surely mobilise fellow men to join you. For sure, if a blind man can choose to rape, these are desperate times that require desperate remedies.’ He concurred admiringly.