WATCH: 'An African City' Creator Launches Important P.S.A. About Rape Culture
Nicole Amarteifio is letting it be known: attire has nothing to do with being sexually assaulted.
When Ghana’s Minister for Gender and Social Protection, Otiko Afisa Djaba, made comments about rape at a recent event, she was quickly criticized for the archaic ideology.
“If you wear a short dress, it’s fashionable but, know that it can attract somebody who would want to rape or defile you,” she said to a group of young women and men. “You must be responsible for the choices you make.”
She did follow it up with, “…it is an abuse of their rights and you are their role model you must not be the one to abuse the rights of the young girls,” with regard to teachers assaulting girls— but the words fell on deaf ears.
Soon after, Djaba was under fire for perpetuating the idea that dressing a certain way can make one more appealing to a rapist, which has been debunked.
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According to Citi FM Online, some have called on the president to remove her from her position, as her comments suggest women are responsible for preventing rape, which they consider a crime borne out of violence and power.
In response, An African City creator Nicole Amarteifio created a P.S.A. with cast members from the show and community leaders to clarify how rape should be treated in a video titled, #HowShortWasYourSkirt.
The participants break down why women shouldn’t be shamed into thinking their attire is predatory, and instead, instructs authorities to be more critical of the perpetrators.
“Currently, from Accra to London to Washington DC, rape culture is winning,” Amarteifio said about the crime, which affects 321k Americans annually. “And I’m fed up. So I did what I know best. I called my friends and picked up a camera with one goal in mind: to disrupt the problematic rape narrative.”
Watch the video above.