Protect our women from sexual abuse

In Greek anthology is a poem by Germanicus Caesar, in which a hare in disparate flight from a dog jumps into the sea only to be seized by a sea dog that mauls it to death in what has become one of the most-used idioms, “Out of the frying pan into the fire” — an escape from danger sometimes begets danger.

There are reports that women, in an attempt at evading the police roadblocks mounted on the boundaries of the five locked-down counties to restrict movement in and out of them, have ended up on the rapists’  dragnet deep in the thickets.

Some boda-boda riders have taken advantage of the dire need of the women to bypass the roadblocks and quite a number have met the sexual brutality of their lives. The few who escaped unscathed recount the tales. 

Earlier perceived as the safest route home without having to contend with a no-nonsense police officer, it has turned into a nightmare.

Lurking dark forces

It is sad that in a country so ravaged by the deadly virus that, given the stringent measures to curb its spread many have lost jobs and livelihoods, those fleeing must be weary of the lurking dark forces. The law must protect them. 

History is replete with cases of immense brutality on women during pandemics and other disasters, such as war, diseases and famines.

For instance, when a genocide ravaged Rwanda in 1994, some 250,000 women were raped, which, according to one charity’s count, the incidents produced in excess of 20,000 babies.

During the Sino-Japanese war, when Japan’s forces conquered Nanking, the capital city of China, 20,000 women were raped and many others killed.

The UN issued an alert about the alarming rise of rape and domestic violence cases during the lockdown. Women and children being a very vulnerable lot, as we battle the pandemic, the government should intensify their protection. Victory over the pandemic is a win for women.

Mr Onyango is a teacher of English and literature. [email protected].