Rape in Kenya is one of the forms of sexual assaults. Rape is defined as sexual intercourse with another person without the consent of that person in Kenya. In many communities in Kenya, the issue of rape is considered as an abomination (sinful), and people who commit it are punished by the council of elders of that particular community in Kenya. For instance, among the Turkana community of Kenya, if you commit rape, you are going to be assembled by the village elders and forced to pay some cattle, sheep and goats. Then, a ritual for cleansing is performed to appease the spirits so as to avoid calamities in Kenya.
In the old days, there were no risks such as sexually transmitted diseases and other health related risks unlike in the modern Kenya where are there are many health risks associated with rape and they include:
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Kenya
Sexually transmitted diseases can be contracted if the perpetrator of the rape has any of the sexually transmitted diseases hence he/she can transmit them to the victim (the person who was raped). The victims of rape in Kenya can also have the diseases (STIs) and then infect the perpetrators of rape incident. Some of these include gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV/AIDS.
Unwanted pregnancy in Kenya
The sperms deposited in the vagina of the victim can fertilize the ovum which can be viable and lead to pregnancy that the victim had not planned for.
Abortion in Kenya
This is the termination of pregnancy before 24 weeks of pregnancy. Those who have been raped and get pregnant can opt to terminate them because they consider it as an ‘outcast’ in the Kenyan community.
Physical injuries due to Rape
Injury can occur to the vagina wall. This can occur as a result of forceful sex intercourse in Kenya and struggling. If it is the child who is raped, there will be massive bleeding.
Isolation
Isolation usually happens to the children victims of rape in Kenya. Children who are raped, usually isolate themselves from others and sometimes do not participate in activities such as playing.
Suicide
Some Kenyan victims of rape can feel embarrassed by the action of rape and opt to commit suicide.
Post-traumatic stress disorder
This is a condition that a person develops after the rape and it manifest as substance abuse and depression.
Stigma
The victims of the rape will remain disgraced for the whole of their life, and it is hard to recover from rape in Kenya.
In Kenya, if a perpetrator of rape is caught, he is taken to Court and can be jailed to a maximum of 21 years in prison. It is the responsibilities of the ladies of our communities to take caution of men especially at night or dangerous places such as forests. It is also advisable that when a person is raped, he/she should rush to report to the police authority and then attend hospital so as to be managed due to such trauma. Some forensic test can also be taken which can be used in the Court of Law when the perpetrator of the incident has been caught by the police in Kenya.
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