Rape as Violation of Fundamental Human Rights: A Peculiarity of Developing Nations

Abstract

Some of the various objectives of fundamental human rights include protecting citizens from harm, abuse, and respect for their human dignity. Thus, fundamental rights are quintessential to a meaningful life. Rape being a hydra-headed monster has infiltrated all spheres of human endeavour. It is an infamous nuisance that aggravates global concerns over the protection of fundamental human rights. Contrary to popular belief that only under-developed or developing nations struggle to curtail criminal activities such as rape, it is observed that rape is a global phenomenon that developed countries also battle with. Like their developing counterparts, developed nations struggle to protect fundamental rights from the scourge of the rape epidemic. This paper examined the varying ways rape affects the fundamental human rights of citizens in Nigeria and United Kingdom. The paper adopts a doctrinal research method to analyze available pieces of literature. The paper argues that rape is an affront to fundamental human rights in Nigeria, which is considered a developing country and in developed nations of the world.