SEXUAL ABUSE AND THE GIRL-CHILD: A STUDY OF ALICE WALKER’S THE COLOUR PURPLE AND AMMA DARKO’S FACELESS

Abstract

Sexual abuse is a dominant theme covered by literature of different genres. It is found in Novel, Drama, and Poetry. However, many of the literary works in these genres show that the term ‘sexual abuse’ is examined as a menace where women of different ages are victims. But there is no conscious effort to demarcate the age distribution of these female victims of sexual abuse. Using two different novels, Faceless by Amma Darko and The Colour Purple by Alice Walker, this study demonstrates that many victims of sexual abuse are under-aged girls who were exposed to the cruelty of sexual abuse due to parental irresponsibility, family abandonment and social neglect. Furthermore, the study proves that when girls suffer sexual abuse, it leads them to embrace various vices in the society like prostitution, hard drugs, and pornography. However, the study maintains that girl-child sexual abuse is not an impossible or intractable challenge in the society. The activities of MUTE, a non-governmental organization in Faceless that rescued Fofo shows that abandoned female children can be rescued and given a new life. The recovery of Celie who eventually becomes a responsible woman also shows that victims of sexual abuse can become normal persons again and well-integrated into the society. The study concludes by insisting that the government and society should do more to eradicate places like Sodom and Gomorrah in Faceless which enables children to indulge in different vices.