GETTING OVER RAPE
It is a violation of trust, usually from a close relationship and getting over it is not as simple as tips being preached during campaigns. The pain knows no bound and the scars are beyond physical. Rape is not just a five minutes experience, it is a lifetime sentence to emotional and psychological trauma. How can a seven-year-old girl know how to interpret rape.
Every survivor responds differently to rape, while some take to alcohol or drugs, some loose trust and have trouble with intimacy and having relationships. If ever you have been through rape, don’t continue your life in bitterness either do you need to blame yourself for the occurrence. If you have never been through rape, it is better imagined than being a rape victim. Apart from the trauma of being raped, rape cases go unreported because of social prejudices against women.
There is a growing prevalence of child abuse globally and the alarming statistics are beginning to involve Nigerian minors on a daily basis. Only a few see the light of the day and are further granted bail. This disposition must change if we are going to minimize this trauma. As much as she blames herself for the occurrence, she finds it difficult to erase those images and this memory can be fresh for a long time.
Medical treatment is the first step to being taken to ensure you are not infected with sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy possibility. Don’t be too scared to walk into a hospital to get the necessary care.
Care for yourself. Eat, exercise and sleep to function normally. In as much as you would want to be alone, consciously relate with people little by little. If there are close ones who are supportive, you should surround yourself with them.
If you are married, changes in sexual responses can be worked out by visiting a counselor. There will always need to talk to someone about the rape or how you feel. If at a moment you find no one to talk to, you can be relieved by engaging yourself in a relaxing activity such as writing. Your families and friends are your best allies to get through this.
The truth is getting over it is not easy, but it does not have to define tour lifetime choices.
