Almost daily, there's a report of a young girl raped by an older man or a group of men; also, reports pop up every now and then about a young boy molested sexually by an older woman (in this case the older woman can be a maid in a house or a next-door neighbour. In both cases, the victim is threatened in so many ways by the culprits not to report what has been done to him or her. Even when the parents of the victims learn about what happened to their daughter or son, they are forced to bury it because of the societal stigma attached to victims of rape or the potential denial by the culprits and the eventual societal blame that will be laid on the family for an attempt to tarnish another person's image.

Hence, victims of rape keep mute and in the process, many of them develop a low self-esteem, with some having thoughts of committing suicide, and a few do end up attempting suicide. Most victims of rape become scarred for life and this affects almost every area of their life, especially when it comes to relationships.

Moreover, the tendency to bury cases of rape by the victims and their families predisposes them to unwanted pregnancy (for female victims), sexually transmitted infections and HIV.

Therefore, it is extremely important that both the victims of rape and their families and the society at large change this ignorant attitude that encourages taking no action for cases of rape. Everyone needs to understand that the value of a girl doesn't lie in-between her legs nor does being raped change who the person is or what he or she is going to achieve in life. Victims of rape need full, unconditional support the same way accident victims require help.

Read more here https://www.kangpe.com/tip/view/213/Important-Medical-Steps-to-Take-for-Rape-Victims?utm_source=nairaland&utm_campaign=tip_share&utm_medium=website&type=tip_share