Difficulities of dealing with pregnancy as a result of rape

The South African rape statistics show that in every four minutes a person is raped in the country. Sexual abuse has become a lifestyle among South African men. The issue of rape not only does it leave women feeling dirty, depressed and afraid but they suffer a lot of trauma. This could include unwanted pregnancies, infections of HIV or STIs, hatred of men, victims blaming themselves or people blaming them for being raped. This blog, however, will explore the difficulties of dealing with pregnancy as a result of rape. Being pregnant after being raped is a difficult situation to deal with; it remains a reminder of what had happened. Victims are always faced with difficult challenges; some women could see their children as a permanent scar and might not be able to love them, others might think that their children will end up like their fathers. Apart from challenges which victims are expected to face, they might also face rejection from family and friends or even their partners who do not want children of rape. This could help or force victims to make decisions concerning the lives of their unborn babies. Usually there are three options which are; abortion, adoption and raising the child. These three options have both advantages and disadvantages: abortion can be a short term solution especially when the victim is experiencing rejection within her family and from her partner but it could also be a long term problem if not dealt with mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Adoption could be a good solution to both the mother and the child in a way that as a mother she can move on with her life and the child will be raised by those who will love him/her. However, this option could also cause problems in the future, perhaps when the child wants to know his roots. Raising the child would also be a good solution for both the mother and child if the mother has healed and has forgiven the rapist but it could also be a challenge if the mother is single or lives in disadvantaged situations. Therefore pregnancy as a result of rape is hard to deal with, but it could heal with the support of family and friends, medical assistance, counselling and spiritual guidance.