Actress Ama Abebrese talks about viral video of lady being gang raped in Ghana

Ghanaian actress, Ama Abebrese has lent her on the viral video of a young lady getting raped and sexually assaulted by a group of young men in Ghana. According to the onetime African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) Best Actress, the video made her wonder how many victims have gone through sexual assault, but kept it to themselves. Continue to read...

"The viral video of a young lady getting gang raped and sexually assaulted by a group of young men has got the whole country talking. Whilst many are angry about this video, and calling for justice for the victim, I started wondering how many victims have gone through sexual assault, and have kept it to themselves. They many never get justice. Many people jumped straight to ‘blaming the victim’ in the video, so it’s not surprising that many victims never report their ordeals. Comments on various media platforms and social media has really brought to light the damaging notions many Ghanaians have about sexual assault and rape.

Ironically just a few days before, though unrelated, Pulse Ghana wrote an article that pretty much promoted rape culture on what they deemed signs that a lady wants to have sex with a guy, one being, if she ask a guy when visiting that she wants to sleep and doesn’t want to be disturbed. (Yeah, you can’t even make this up). The media publication apologised after a lot of backlash and removed the article.

Just a few days later, this video of the gang rape emerged. This is not to point point fingers at Pulse Ghana, after all their article reflects misconceptions that some people hold as an invitation for sex.
It is imported to highlight misinformation and notions that are widely held by many that goes far to do damage to young men and women about what constitutes rape or sexual assault. A few I have read are listed below.

1. A female victim deserves to be be sexually assaulted or raped because she is in a place with a bunch of guys.

2. If a female victims wears so called provocative or revealing clothes that she deserves it.

3. If a female victim ask for money from a guy, or he buys her items such as phones, clothes or food then she deserves it.

4. If she consumed alcohol then she deserves it.

5. If she is a ‘bad girl’ then she deserves it.

6. If she doesn’t scream then she deserves it.

There are many who seems to think that the younger female population should dress a certain way to avoid being raped or sexually assaulted. Even the female Gender Minister in Ghana said that some months ago. 

Interestingly many of those who are bent on advising females on dressing to avoid rape fail to equally advice young men not to be rapist and sexual abusers. 

You see there is nothing wrong with advising ladies on how they should dress and compose themselves. 

It is highly important to educate and advice both the male and female population from a young age on consent and to be sexually responsible. It is important to stress that what a lady wears is not an invitation to rape. Even if a lady comes to visit you in your room is not an invitation to rape. 

If it were dressing alone, then you would not have young girls as young as 4 years old being raped by adults. Sexual assault also happens to some boys who are sodomized. A taboo, however, you never hear anyone advising young men on their dressing to avoid rape. Double standards is prevalent in our society.

It’s important to keep highlighting that, if it were about dressing, then most rapes and sexual assaults would occur at at the beach or swimming pools where people wear very little, yet that’s not the case. The sexual assaults victims I have spoken to, their assaults happened at home, a family member’s house, somewhere in their community and by usually someone they trusted; i.e. family members or people they knew. 

Rape and sexual assault is about power, perpetrators use their power to dominate victims, simple.
Most importantly, we need to stop blaming victims. Just stop." She wrote on Facebook.