Rape is an act of cruel control of a perpetrator on his victim – either male or female.
Hardly do we get to hear of the perpetrators’ side of the story.
Here is a journey into a mind of a former rapist. he was only 17 years old when he began his life in crime.
“IN THE HOOD, THE GIRLS WHO HAD BEEN RAPED WERE SEEN AS HEROS BECAUSE AT THE TIME, ANYONE WHO GO RAPED IT WAS A GANG RAPE, OVER EIGHT MEN WOULD ASSAULT ONE GIRL THEN GO A ROUND AND BRAG ABOUT IT.”
He continued, “But my sister would ask me, I was 18 years old then, why I’m going around harming women. I did no care. I was a king. Hiyo time nilikua na mic – a gun. Ukionyesha mic dame anavua nguo na ninaifanya na force.”
ADDING, “I LOVE MY SISTER VERY MUCH AND WHEN PEOPLE TALKED ABOUT WHY I’M HURTING OTHER WOMEN BY RAPING THEM, THEY WOULD ASK, ‘HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOUR SISTER WAS RAPED?’ BUT BECAUSE I WAS ALWAYS HIGH ON DRUGS, I WOULD RESPOND ITABIDI AVUMILIE, LIFE NI KUJIKAZA.
His excuse for raping women was his drug addiction and peer pressure. He however denied that he ever raped a woman he knows, he only assaulted women he was not familiar with.
“UKO MADAWA UNAONA HUYU DAME DAME NI KITU HAPO NDIO NILIJIPATA JUU YA PEER PRESURE NA DRUGS NIKAANZAKUJI INVOLVE PIA NA STORY ZA RAPING. JUU UNATUMIA DAWA KAMA KICHURI (HEROINE) IT MAKES YOU WANT TO BE SEEN DOING BRAVE, DARING AND NASTY THINGS. THOSE DRUGS ALSO MAKE YOU HORNY ALL THE TIME.”
Residents of the area where the reformed rapist used to carry out his illegal practices, realised this trend is getting out of hand and they introduced community policing to reduce the rape scourge.
By age 18, he was a jail bird.
“IF I WAS LOCKED UP AND RELEASED BY POLICE, MY STREET CREDIBILITY WOULD RAISE A HIGHER LEVEL IN THE CRIMINAL CIRCLES. I WAS ALMOST MURDERED BY COPS BUT THERE ARE THOSE COPS WHO BELIEVED I COULD REFORM AND CHANGE.”
The reformed rapist said they have an initiative called Ndugu Dada where men who have a background in crime and sexual assault return the power and control they too from women by empowering them.
“CHANGE IS PAIN BUT IT IS GOOD, THE COMMUNITY NEEDS MORE MEN TO JOIN HANDS AND STOP RAPE.’
