Readdressing Rape Phenomenon in Yobe State: An Islamic Alternative

Rape is regarded as the most aggressive and serious sexual offence. It is a very serious crime affecting the lives and general activities of victims and their families, socially, psychologically and mentally. In Nigeria, rape incidence for women and girls is on an increasing trend; because of the discriminatory nature of the application of its laws, and sometimes some forms of violence against women are even legalized. It is against this backdrop that this research aims at identifying the real factors of prevalence of rape phenomena in Yobe state, with an attempt to provide solutions from Islamic perspective. The research is an exploratory qualitative research that sourced cross sectional primary data collected through the use of structured questionnaire. Multistage purposive sampling method was employed in selecting the respondents for the study across the study area. Thematic Analysis was employed as the method of data analysis. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to summarize and interpret the results of the thematic analyses of the data obtained. The findings of this research revealed that, lack of proper punishment for culprits is the major factor responsible of high rate of rape cases in Yobe state. It farther revealed that societal hatred against rape victims is the most common negative effect of rape phenomenon in the state. Finally, the recommended that public awareness campaigns should be carryout to address hindrances of prosecuting and punishing rape and other sexually related culprits in Yobe State.