Abstract
The essential elements of the rape crime are sexual penetration, force, and the lack of consent. The prevalence of rape worldwide has been reported to be a staggering 20%. In Nigeria, most victims of rape will elect to remain silent about the experience, because of stigmatization leading to under reporting of the crime. This study was aimed at elucidating the perception of rape and determining its prevalence and predictors among female undergraduates in a tertiary institution in South Eastern Nigeria. This was a descriptive cross sectional study in which self administered questionnaires were used to collect relevant data from 280 female undergraduates of UNIZIK Okofia Nnewi Campus, Nigeria, selected by cluster sampling technique. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine associations and identify independent predictors of rape respectively. The level of significance was set at p rape than those counterparts who attended co-educational colleges. Awareness campaigns through peer education, introduction of sexuality education in the school curriculum and establishment of school health programmes are highly recommended.
Highlights
“Rape” is defined from a legal standpoint as the forcible penetration by a penis or object where there is no consent [1]
This study was aimed at eliciting the perception of rape and determining its prevalence and predictors among female students in Okofia, Nnewi Campus of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nigeria
A total of n = 280 female undergraduate students participated in this cross-sectional study
Summary
“Rape” is defined from a legal standpoint as the forcible penetration by a penis or object where there is no consent [1]. A recent national household survey, the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) in the USA, reported 12.3% of American women 18 years and older had experienced a completed forced rape in their lifetime [5]. This translates to 14.6 million women who are living with the consequences of rape. These latest study findings are consistent with previous findings from four national household surveys spanning a period of 15 years that showed between 1 in 6 (16%) and 1 in 8 (13%) women were raped in their lifetime [6]. This study was aimed at eliciting the perception of rape and determining its prevalence and predictors among female students in Okofia, Nnewi Campus of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nigeria
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