Rape, the State and Society: A Historical Study of Responses to Rape in South-Eastern Nigeria, c. 1940-1990.

强奸在尼日利亚是一个普遍的问题。报告显示，四分之一的尼日利亚女孩在18岁之前被强奸（联合国儿童基金会2020年）。联邦政府最近声称，尼日利亚每年被强奸的女孩和妇女人数达到200万（Daily Trust 2019）。尽管这些令人不安的发展表明了社会普遍存在的问题，但学术分析主要是针对性犯罪者的法律和心理学研究，而不是更广泛的社会反应（Onyejekwe 2008, Olatunji 2012, Folayan 2014）。该研究旨在探讨尼日利亚东南部不断变化的强奸法律定义和政府对强奸的不同反应，调查不断变化的针对强奸的法律、刑事和社会政策。来自地方和省级法院的档案证据表明，从20世纪初到中期，尼日利亚东南部的强奸率很高。独立后，尼日利亚联邦政府颁布了刑法和刑法，以打击这一罪行，并批准了多项国际法和公约，以解决历史上对妇女和女孩的歧视和暴力行为。尽管作出了这些努力，被强奸的儿童、女孩和妇女的人数继续大幅增加。作为回应，当地社区举行示威活动，质疑和挑战司法系统的有效性和效率，而非政府组织则增加了活动并合作结束强奸（人权观察2020，乔治，2021）。这项博士研究基于书面、档案资料和口述历史，将研究国家和尼日利亚社会如何理解和应对1940年至1990年的强奸。这一时期允许对殖民、民主和军事独裁的反应进行比较分析，并涵盖了和平时期和战争时期的性暴力模式，以及尼日利亚-比夫拉内战（1967-70）。它将提供纵向和背景数据，以推动对尼日利亚东南地区和联邦一级的决策者和非政府组织/倡导团体的影响。关于应对性暴力的历史文件对于提供信息和影响以证据为基础的打击犯罪的政策和行动，以及从以往打击性暴力和基于性别的暴力的失败努力中吸取教训至关重要。1940年的开始日期标志着英属非洲新刑罚改革和法律改革的开始，而该项目在20世纪90年代随着尼日利亚刑法和刑法的引入以及现有文献提供覆盖的人权活动而停止。基于案例研究的方法允许在一个可管理的博士学位项目中对社会反应进行广泛的分析，选择尼日利亚东南部是因为该地区在历史上和当代的强奸率很高，而且历史证据广泛可用。这项研究以四个问题为指导：1。殖民和后殖民时期的尼日利亚政府是如何定义和概念化强奸的？2. 殖民和后殖民政府制定的法律在解决强奸问题方面效果如何？3. 殖民地和后殖民政府对性犯罪者采取了什么惩罚措施？4. 公众使用什么策略来处理、限制或寻求针对强奸的正义？

Rape is a prevalent problem in Nigeria. Reports indicate that 1 in 4 Nigerian girls are raped before the age of 18 (UNICEF 2020). Recent claims by the Federal Government puts the number of Nigerian girls and women being raped annually to two million (Daily Trust 2019). Despite these disturbing developments being indicative of society-wide problem, academic analysis is dominated by legal and psychological studies focused on sexual offenders rather than broader social responses (Onyejekwe 2008, Olatunji 2012, Folayan 2014). The research aims to explore the changing legal definitions of rape and the diverse responses of government to rape in South-Eastern Nigeria, investigating changing legal, penal and social policies against rape.Archival evidence from native and provincial courts establishes the high prevalence of rape in South-Eastern Nigeria from the early to mid-twentieth century. Following independence, the federal government of Nigeria promulgated the penal and criminal codes in a bid to combat the crime and also ratified multiple international laws and conventions to address the historical discrimination and violence against women and girls. In spite of these efforts, the number of children, girls, and women who are raped has continued to increase tremendously. In response, local communities have staged demonstrations to question and challenge the effectiveness and efficiency of the judicial system while non-governmental organizations have increased their activities and collaborated to end rape (Human Rights Watch 2020, George, 2021).This doctoral research based on written, archival sources and oral history will examine how states and Nigerian society have understood and responded to rape from c.1940 to 1990. This time period allows comparative analysis of colonial, democratic and military dictatorship responses, and covers both peacetime and wartime patterns of sexual violence, with the Nigerian-Biafran civil war (1967-70). It will provide longitudinal and contextual data to drive impact with policy makers and NGO/advocacy groups in the South Eastern region of Nigeria and at the federal level. Historical documentation on the responses to sexual violence is essential for informing and influencing a more evidence-based policy and action against the crime, and to learn from previous failed efforts to combat sexual and gender-based violence. The start date c.1940 signifies a start of new penal reformism and legal reform across British Africa, whilst the project stops in 1990s with the introduction of the criminal and penal codes in Nigeria and a human rights activism, where existing literature provides coverage. A case study-based approach allows for a broad analysis of social responses within a manageable PhD-length project, with South-Eastern Nigeria selected due to the high prevalence of rape in the region, historically and contemporaneously, and wide availability of historical evidence. The study is guided by four questions: 1. How did both colonial and post-colonial Nigerian governments define and conceptualize rape? 2. How effective were the laws made by colonial and post-colonial governments in addressing rape? 3. What punitive measures were adopted by colonial and post-colonial government against sexual offenders? 4. What strategies did the public use to address, limit or seek justice against rape?