Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence which usually holds from November 25 to December 10 every year. ENE OSHABA in this report examines its impact in Nigeria considering the increase in reported cases.
Background
The #16 days of activism against violence against women is a global action following the Beijing Declaration to further protect women and girls from every form of violence in the society. This year’s event was marked with the theme, “Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, collect!”
The year 2020 marked twenty-five years post-Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and while women’s movement around the world called for the assessment of the progress achieved so far, the world was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic in Nigeria, like in many other countries, revealed the fragility in several systems ranging from the health sector to the economy.
More importantly, the pandemic affirmed the country’s distance from a world where women’s rights are guaranteed and more women excelling as equal partners as the pandemic exposed a worrying increase in incidents of sexual and gender based violence. Nigeria in the period of lockdown recorded more incidents of violence against women and girls as indicated in the number of reports received by respective state institutions, non-governmental organisations and on social media platforms.
This inspired citizens’ actions across different states in Nigeria calling for the government’s immediate response to the level of violence against women and girls. More important was the demand for all states of the federation to adopt as state laws, progressive legislations like the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act and the Child Rights Act to provide a better framework to protect women and girls from violence.
As explained in a report titled Analysis of the Root Causes of Violence against Women and Girls in Nigeria, a publication recently launched by the Nigerian Women Trust Fund NWTF with support from the Ford Foundation, violence against women and girls remains a development issue that has its roots both in the persisting gender-inequality enabled by the patriarchal construction of structures and the perception of a society informed by beliefs.
The report pointed out that Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in Nigeria is beyond the ratification of international and regional instruments or the provision of women-friendly legislation.
“It is ingrained into the fabric of the society and requires deeper introspection and analysis of the root causes and the enablers of the culture of violence,” it stated partly.
Forms of violence
A research by the World Health Organisation (WHO), in its research on VAW, has analysed and categorised the different forms of VAW occurring through all stages of life from before birth to old age.
According to the research, violence against women fits into several broad categories including violence carried out by individuals as well as states.
Some of the forms of violence perpetrated by individuals are: Rape; domestic violence; sexual harassment; acid throwing; reproductive coercion; female infanticide; parental sex selection; obstetric violence; online gender-based violence, and mob violence. They also include harmful customary or traditional practices such as honour killings; dowry violence; female genital mutilation; marriage by abduction, and forced marriage.
There are forms of violence which may be perpetrated or condoned by the government, such as war rape; sexual slavery during conflict; forced sterilisation; forces abortion; violence by police and authoritative personnel; stoning and flogging.
Many forms of VAW, such as trafficking in women and forced prostitution, are often perpetrated by organised criminal networks. Historically, there have been forms of organised VAW, such as the witch trials in the early modern period or the sexual slavery of the comfort women.
Root causes
The increase in the occurrence of violence against women and girls in Nigeria amongst other factors has been linked to the absence of leadership and the voices of women and girls at all levels. This is not unconnected with the lack of cohesiveness in their ranks to mobilise and network as forerunners in demanding for women and girls rights despite their population advantage and developmental contributions.
The NWTF report maintained that violence against women and girls are sustained by gender norms that embody gender inequality and unequal power relations, making them consistently exposed to various expressions of violence; the intensity and trend of which is alarming and continues unabated. It said at least, one in every three Nigerian females has experienced one form of violence or the other.
According to the report, “Nigerian women experience violence both at home and in the public spaces although various factors have been alluded to as the causes.”
The gaps
Speaking exclusively to Blueprint Weekend, the president of International Peace and Civic Responsibility Centre, an NGO based in Anambra state, Prince Chris Azor, said issues around VAW were enormous even as women had been doing quite a lot to address it a lot still needed to be done.
Azor regretted that Nigeria lacked enough legislation to reduce VAW, adding that there were rising cases of violence in the country. He said men were the major perpetrators, but that emerging issues like the Covid-19 pandemic which brought about the lockdown and economic meltdown “is one of the reasons for the increase.”
He said, “I think we still have a long way to go because the challenges in the society are actually raising more issues and making it look as if it’s getting worse.
“Look at the issues of Covid-19; look at the fact that the country has slipped into recession; these are the issues militating against women having their freedom and gender equality. Another major issue is that there is not enough legislation to reduce VAW; if there is a law and the opposite gender supports the activities, advocacies of women rights then we can get it right.
“Again, if the economy is better, there is more inclusion and participation of women because they can’t fight their cause when there is no political, economic participation. Empowerment is not there yet; we try to create more awareness and bring together all relevant stakeholders to make it work.”
Cleric perpetrators
More cases of clerics reported to be perpetrators of VAW leave many wondering if there can be any hope for the end to the menace. Expressing disappointment, Azor condemned the situation, saying “it is quite worrisome that some religious leaders are themselves perpetrators.”
He said the lack of awareness and monitoring of what happens in the society and how issues are taken for granted is what has encouraged the belief that a clergyman can do no harm. He also faulted parents who, according to him, give their children out to somebody else to take care of them without monitoring what goes on with them as the reason for the increase in violence against women and girls.
Similarly, the national programmes manager at the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (ROLAC), Danladi Plang, during the 6th national conference of the sexual assault referral centres network in Abuja, said VAW has persisted because victims most times do not want to report cases to security personnel, as they sometimes are made jest of thus resulting to underreporting of sexual assault cases.
Plang expressed the displeasure that the cases of victims who seek help for sexual assault were not followed up with adequate prosecution and report including the culture of stigma on victims.
He said, “There are many gaps but one of the key is in the reporting. I feel sexual assault is still underreported. There are many cases out there that are not being reported and the question is why. This is because when they report they do not get the support and services they need. The type of response they get does not encourage them to go back to make a report.
“And the other factor is prosecution; this is because if people are not prosecuted for wrongdoing it breeds impunity. This is because when one person does something and no measure is taken another will also partake since nothing will be done. So, we need to improve in investigation and prosecution and with their names on the register, it will reduce the refusal of people to report such incidents.
Speaking further, he said: “The culture of stigma is also one major factor as people think that it is the fault of the woman that is being raped, that if she has not placed herself in that position she will not have been raped. But we know that even toddlers and grandmothers have been raped; so, which position do you want them to put themselves so that they will not be raped?
“The Issue of rape could be a psychological problem. In other climes, one of the thing that is often practised is to carry out an evaluation of the psychological position of the person to understand why he has carried such an act; why they do what they do; the pedophiles, as well as those that rape people with mental illness believing that it will give them some powers.”
Way forward
The chief executive officer of Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF), Mufuliat Fijabi, noted that there was an increase in gender-based violence cases especially during the Covid-19 lockdown. She disclosed content of the findings in four focal states of Adamawa, Nasarawa, Cross River state, the FCT, and called on all to to understand that VAW and girls is a violation of human rights and it’s something that needed to be dug deeper to understand and analyse the causes.
“We will continue to talk about VAW until it stops and for it to stop we need to do a deeper analysis and get a better understanding of why violence occurs both in public and private places because we want it to come to an end.
“I like to emphasise that there was an increase during the period of lockdown, we have seen different dimensions in the rate of VAW and girls as the results of the lockdown. We saw how close relationships within homes led to the escalation of VAW which means that this act was just waiting to explode. So, if this has happened it means that we need to double our efforts to ensure that it no longer happens.
“We need adequate protection of women and girls because they are an integral part of society. Any society that wishes to advance forward and be a well- developed society has to recognise that no human being is qualified for violence let alone women and girls, so it must stop,” she said.
Also, Azor said GBV has come to the front burner in Nigeria, and that it is a huge challenge just like in other African countries.
“The truth is that women suffer a lot of violence in Nigeria just like in other African countries and what we are talking about is the idea of everybody coming together to support women to increase their voices against violence as it affects women and girls, because it is already a challenge in Nigeria and Africa.
“Men should come out and support the advocacy to reduce VAW. There should be more awareness creation, monitoring and evaluation of what we do. The rise in violence is not just a psychological problem, like I said it’s a legion of problems including psychological, economical, social problems. We need more sensitisation and stakeholders’ mapping and engagement. The price we pay for freedom is to be extra-vigilant; don’t take things for granted, all hands must be on deck to solve the problem.
“Again, if the economy is better, there is more inclusion and participation of women because they can’t fight their cause when there is no Political, economic participation. Empowerment is not there yet; we should try to create more awareness and bring together all relevant stakeholders to make it work.”
