Eliminating Gender-Based Violence

Ever since women gathered in Beijing, in 1995 to deliberate on issues of concern to the women in general, issues on gender-based violence has gained much prominence in newspaper, magazines and books.

  While some people suggest that the issue is being over flooded, others justify its constant publication, until the desired attention is attracted.

   Gender-base cases have remained unbearably persistent in spite of the many voices raised against it. Rather than assuming the posture of a monster rejected by the public, it is perpetrated as a development welcomed and encouraged by the society.

By the day, different faces of this ugly monster emerge; ranging from physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, be it in private or public life.

According to a recent UN Fund for Women’s (UNIFEM) report on violence against women, the physical harm ranks highest. The report states that on the average, at least six out of ten women have been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused by an intimate partner in the course of their life time.

In Nigeria in particular, there has been increasing reports of sexual abuse of infants and young girls, with ages ranging from two to sixteen years, in places such as homes, schools, and places of worship.

Following this trend, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Josephine Anenih, has joined millions of activists calling for an end to injustice against womanhood.

In her recently launched campaign tagged “Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence Against Women”, the minister described the plight of the woman as a pathetic one she moans: “the story of violence against women is a sorry one; across the world, women remain vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.

Mrs Anenih, highlights the inadequacy of appropriate penalties to deter perpetrators of this inhuman act as a basic challenge in eliminating gender-based violence. According to her, it has been observed that there are obstacles in the enforcement of extant laws, procedures which make it extremely difficult for women to get relief from existing legal instruments.

Corroborating the point raised by the minister, some concerned citizens explained that “in Nigeria, most law enforcement officers, especially the police, traditionally treat cases relating to domestic violence against women differently from other violence crimes only to blame their poor response on the dearth of relevant laws to back up their intervention:, hence,  painting a picture of a weak legal system in this regard.

Dr. Abiodun Ogundoyin of the engender project, a non governmental organisation, explains that the police’s nonchalant disposition to cases of domestic violence is predicated on the premise that it is some what regarded as a family problem which the police often try to avoid and whenever they handle such cases, they often resort to blaming the molested woman inspite of her victimisation, adding that “even in countries with strong legal systems, law enforcement institutions have historically responded to domestic and sexual violence with bias, neglect and mistreatment” .

However, Mrs Oby Nwankwo, Executive Director, Civil Resource Development and Documentation Centre (CRDDOC) does not view the Nigerian legal system as weak in dealing with violence against women.

She insists that the 1999 constitution has specific provision on fundamental human rights, including right to life, dignity of human beings and right not to be subjected to cruel inhuman and degrading treatments.

She added, “the criminal code prohibits unlawful assault  occasioning harm and indecent assault. These various forms of assault do not exclude those perpetrated at home by persons such as husbands or in-laws- Nwankwo highlighted some laws enacted by some states House of Assemblies prohibiting some gender-base violence ranging from girl-child marriage and female circumcision as well as  obnoxious widowhood practices etc.

However, inspite of all these machineries put in place to check the excesses of the perpetrators of these heinous acts on womanhood, Mr Osemhenjie Desmond, a programme officer in the Nigerian Office of (UNIFEM) still sees no succour in sight as women and girls continue to suffer molestation in the society.

All the same, stopping violence against women remains a moral imperative and all hands must be on deck to combat this heinous crime. 

Sylvia ThankGod-Amadi