In the wake of Bukola Dakolo’s rape allegations against Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo of COZA, I’ve initiated several conversations with friends on the issue in an attempt to understand everyone’s stance and discuss intellectually void of rage. A particular conversation with a friend struck me days later. While we were deliberating on the authenticity of her story based on unfortunate past instances of women who were caught in the act of lying, he submitted that he believes her because she’s a mother of three who has nothing to gain, on the flip side, if she was a single university undergraduate, he’ll have a hard time believing.
In other words, he innocently implied that marriage – which is seen as a ‘responsibility’ marker, is one of the prerequisites for believing a rape victim. The victim has to appear believable to be believed.
In my opinion, this idea defeats the purpose of creating a conducive environment that fosters truth and justice. We are further driving a prejudiced divide within the community of women (as though we aren’t already dealing with enough societal hiccups aimed at creating polarities, rather than fostering togetherness). This gaffe is conversant to taking one step forward and ten steps backwards.
The authenticity of a female rape victim’s account should be independent of her lifestyle choice. I dare say that a prostitute deserves the favoured reaction from an angry mob and swift justice as much as a celebrity wife of three.