Thread by @titemwanenge, Ain't a lawyer, medical expert but here are such critical opinions we [...]

Ain't a lawyer, medical expert but here are such critical opinions we all need to examine when making comments on rape, defilement and other sexual abuses cases etc

In law, rape is defined as vaginal or anal penetration in the absence of lawful consent. Hweva, the source of penetration e.g penis, finger, or objects, object of penetration e.g vagina, anal, or oral, gender of perpetrator & victim & definition of consent varies greatly across..

Jurisdictions

Rape considered to have occurred when her consent has been obtained by (i) putting her (or any person in whom she is interested, e.g., children, close relatives) any stupefying or unwholesome substance (so-called “date-rape”), or (iii) when the age of the victim is below 16 year

Malawi's Penal Code criminalizes assault, rape, and attempted rape but does not criminalize marital rape.... It sets the age of sexual consent at 16..... Will follow with an extract from Human Rights Watch Report on Child Marriage in Malawi

.. Definition of rape in the Penal Code is limited. It addresses women and girls only, and it does not address forced anal sex, or forced non-penile penetration of the vagina or anus as
constituting rape. Malawi lacks a sexual offense law to address these gaps....

However, there is scope to include a broader perspective on sexual violence in the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act, which is currently being reviewed by the Malawi Law Commission

There is much debate on consent but here is another example on the same.... The case of India where rape occurs every 60 seconds..

Indian law sec 375 specifically states that if a woman consents to sex, that consent is invalid & rape is still considered to have taken place...

if the woman is suffering from “unsoundness of mind or intoxication” so that she is unable to understand the nature and consequence of that to which she gives consent.

There are several types of rape that exists in law...

1. Penetrative rape: The vagina is penetrated by penis, finger, or other objects

2. Statutory rape: The penis is touched on vagina but no penetration takes place. This type of rape does not exist in Indian statutes yet

3. Marital rape: When rape occurs within a marriage. There much debate on this and few countries globally recognizes this

4. Date rape: When rape occurs during an exploratory platonic romantic meeting between a man and a woman, where often an intoxicating agent is mixed in the food or drink of the victim.

Sad

that some people do this....

5. Gang rape: When more than one person rapes the victim

6. Male rape: When man on man rape takes place.

Since the dawn of democracy which sparked a wave of soul-searching, several narratives of what rape is all about has emerged from various people - in public offices, religious communities, and special interest groups - plugged on mainstream media.....

Some of these discourses have merely rehashed what are known to be myths...

(a) women ask for sex by the way they dress and behave, (b) they enjoy being raped, (c) women are raped only by strangers (c) rapists are crazy or psychotic (“animals” is a word that is often used), and (g) most rapists are “different”, “not like us.”.... All these are stupid

You can't justify raping, defiling someone. That's total inhumane, foolish and barbaric

WHY MENTAL HEALTH?
Extensive research over the years (and more) suggests that several mental health issues underlie sexual violence and offending, particularly rape....

Much of this research comes from the west and the lack of meaningful research on rapists in Malawi highlights a serious lacunae in knowledge and skills required to manage mental health factors that underlie criminal activities, a role that forensic psychiatrists generally play

Neurobiological impairments
Rape may a be associated with organic brain damage and learning disability, disorders associated with congenital or acquired brain damage.

Rapists were found to have head injuries (3.9%) in a large sample in Sweden, and sadistic rapists have shown abnormalities within the temporal horn, although the clinical significance of these findings remain unknown at the present time.

Psychiatric disorders: Most rapists are not mentally disordered. People with schizophrenia or related psychoses may often commit rape or show abnormal sexual behavior which is related either directly to the psychosis[9] or indirectly to disinhibition.

Psychiatric diagnoses in an in-patient Swedish sample of 535 rape offenders discharged from Swedish prisons. The most prevalent diagnoses were alchohol abuse or dependence (9.3%), drug abuse (3.9%), personality disorder (2.6%), and psychosis (1.7%).

Intimacy/attachment problems: Several studies show that rapists experienced multiple early life adversities such as sexual abuse, physical & dysfunctional family relations, which are likely to affect their capacities for secure attachments & developing healthy adult relationships

CONCLUSIONS
The recent surge in sexual violence towards women in this country require a multi-pronged response that should involve not just organised and non-organized sectors,...

but also individuals as members of that society as perpetrators of rape often have mental health and psychosocial risk factors that trigger, maintain and perpetuate the offence.

Psychiatry can play a constructive and educative role in assisting criminal justice agencies in managing this scourge. For the discipline to do so, it requires leadership and vision in developing the neglected field of forensic mental health.

National mental health planning must include centres that can train the next generation of professional in the assessment and management of offending behaviours such as rape.

In doing so, the discipline and its practitioners must be cognizant of the ethical and moral principles that govern their actions as doctors and as carers of individuals with mental health professionals and protect themselves from excessive and unjust demands from others as well.

.... as act to reduce the stigma associated with being consumers of mental health services.

That's it, so it's up to us as citizens to just continue making noise on social media or helping in dealing with these issues according to law and helping those involved. #SayNoToRape

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