THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF RAPE ON WOMEN1

Abstract

Rape is the most morally and physically reprehensible crime in a society. It is an assault
on the body and privacy of the victim which lives permanently in her body, mind and
soul, the pains, sadness and regrets which invariably creates psychological problems to
the victim. The objective of this work is to expose the psychological effects that rape
victims can suffer as a result of rape encounter. The methodology used in this work is
doctrinal and the findings of this work is that female rape victims suffer a lot of
psychological effects of a permanent nature especially the pains and hurt of seeing their
victims not punished due to the secretive nature of the Nigerian society not to report
rape to avoid being labeled as such which have consequences when the victim is known
to her. The work recommends for strong advocacy in letting victims report cases of rape
against them and pursue same to its logical end. The work also recommends for more
research work on the psychological effects of rape cases on the academic performance
of secondary school students in Nigeria.