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‘Gender, Equal Opportunity Bill Deserves Support’

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Times when issues of gender equality are raised, like the
proverbial dry bone story that gets the elderly agitated, it is usually greeted
with disdain and so, considered contemptible.

While some people see the idea as ambiguous, with a disguised
posture that renders its supposed and potential embracers a bit skeptical about
its workability, others consider it an aberration which, of course, should be
nipped in the bud, so that it does not corrode the system eventually.

And like the slave master that would stop at nothing to
ensure the retention of his slaves against the popular clamour for freedom from
slavery and injustice, the whole idea of “gender equality,’ seems to smack of
‘rebellious revolution’ hence condemnable in its entirety.

Perhaps, this distorted notion of an idea devoid of any
sinister suggestion, may have immensely contributed to the delay in adopting a
course that had been ratified some decades ago by the United Nations and
African Union for the good of our polity.

Against this background, the National Coalition on
Affirmative Action (NCAA) Rivers State branch, recently organized a one day
constituency forum on Gender and Equal Opportunities bill basically to
interpret and explain to an understandable term, what the bill represents.

The one day meeting which was graced by Non-governmental
organizations, civil society organisations, politicians, the press and
different women groups brainstormed on the facilitation of the passage of the
Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill in Rivers State, a bill that had already
been passed into laws in many other states of the federation.

The National Coalition on Affirmative Action’s NCAA
sponsored Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill, is not introducing an entirely
strange agenda or doctrine into the system, rather it seeks to incorporate the
provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the protocol to the African charter on
Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. Both documents
clearly promote the principles of equality and non-discrimination on the basis
of sex. Once domesticated, they both will have the same force of law in
Nigeria.

CEDAW is a 30-article convention which seeks to implement
the principles set forth in the declaration on the elimination of
discrimination against women and to adopt measures required for the elimination
of such discrimination in all its forms and manifestations.

It defines minimum standards and norms for achieving equal
status of men and women and urges government to adopt measures to speed the
attainment of equality and balance between men and women in all spheres of the
society.

The underlying motivation of the convention is to draw
special attention to the disadvantages suffered by women over the years and to
seek specific priority measures to address the imbalances.

As a strategy to address the long history of discrimination
against women and close the historic gap of imbalance between men and women,
CEDAW recommends affirmative action.

The protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women
in Africa on the other hand, is a special agreement adopted by African
countries under the African Union. It draws inspiration from the African
charter provisions that enshrine the principle of non-discrimination and
provides for the elimination of discrimination against women and ensure the
protection of the rights of women.

The 32-article document amplifies CEDAW’s provisions and
goes beyond them to expand as well as add to the provisions.

The challenge therefore, is to ensure the domestication of
the two instruments in line with section 12 of the constitution of Nigeria
1979.

Hence the purpose of the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill
is primarily to give effect to chapters II and IV of the 1999 constitution of
the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the International Conventions on Human
Rights which affirms the principle of non-discrimination and proclaim that all
humans are born equal, in dignity and rights and that everyone is entitled to
all the rights set out without distinction of any kind including distinction
based on sex.

The bill is also expected to give effect to the
domestication of certain aspects of the convention on the elimination of all
forms of discrimination against women and the protocol to the African Charter
on the Right of Women in Africa and the National Gender Policy.

To press home the recommendation of an affirmative action by
CEDAW, as a strategy to address discrimination against women and close the
historic gap of imbalance between men and women, the bill provided that it
shall be mandatory for all organs or agency of government, public or private
institution, commercial or corporate body, community or other entity to ensure:
(1) in the case of political and public sphere, that a minimum of 35 percent of
all offices, positions or appointments is reserved for women.

In the case of employment, credit or other economic sphere
in the public or private, a minimum of 40 percent of all offices, facilities,
positions or appointments is reserved for women.

In the case of educational placement and school enrollment,
including award of scholarships, bursaries or such allocations, a minimum of 50
percent is reserved for women.

In the case of primary school enrolment, all eligible girl
children are to be compulsorily enrolled and retained in school throughout the
school age. In all other cases, a minimum of 35 percent is reserved for women,
etc. As a matter of fact, affirmative action is not new to Nigeria.  there are many forms of affirmative action
which are simply planned action of intervention aimed at redressing any
observed and acknowledged imbalance in any given instance. The federal
character and the geographical spread principles which are already entrenched
in the Nigerian constitution were conscious policies to address the perceived
imbalance in the public administration and governance of Nigeria.

Today, the gains of Federal character affirmative action are
evident in spite of the alleged gross misapplication and abuses along the line.

The demand for 35% affirmative action for women is simply
intended to ensure proportionate representation of the marginalised gender (the
women). This implies that the operation of 35% affirmative action for women in
Nigeria will be discontinued as soon as equitable gender balance in governance
is achieved.

It is no gainsaying therefore the fact that affirmative
action has been a popular government instrument and is very democratic in as
much as it is aimed at ensuring equity, justice and development of all
stakeholders in the policy.

So, the 35% (political) affirmative action for women is not
a novel idea and its benefits will not be gender-specific, all Nigerians will
be the better for it in the long run. Its efficacy as an instrument of growth
and development had been attested to by countries which have adopted it.

Therefore, given the anticipated impact of an equitable
women representation in governance, the quick passage of the Gender and Equal
Opportunities bill in Rivers State becomes imperative.

Top on the way forward is the inclusion of female
politicians into the mainstream of the party structures, male dominance of
party structures due largely to the patriarchal and undemocratic nature of
political parties notwithstanding.

Given the central place of the political parties in the
actualisation of this 35 percent representation of women, it becomes important
that parties be lobbied and duly sensitised to see the need to entrench it
within the party so it could be easier to get the National Assembly to include
it in constitutional and electoral reforms.

The task to get the parties to buy into this agenda as well
as lobby for reforms of electoral laws to include proportional representation
thus has to be intensified now if possible outcomes are to be achieved by 2015.
Strategic also is the idea to have women join political parties en masse and
being very knowledgeable about affirmative action so as to be advocates of it
within their parties as well as seek party posts.

The importance of financial empowerment for women cannot be
overemphasised to enable them vie for political offices and moreso, an
intensified advocacy as well as re-orientation of women’s focus from being mere
followers to being decision makers, so they can have a voice on how their
affairs could be handled.

 

Sylvia ThankGod-Amadi

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Women

What Women Should Know In Marriage

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Every married person should be able to quit childish ways for a long lasting marriage.
Growing up in marriage means keeping the vows made during holy matrimony, obeying the rules guiding marriage. Love your spouse and treat him/her kindly. Growing up is being able to hold intelligent discussions with your partner.
Do not allow problems to make you expose your spouse in the public.
When married, you kick out childish behaviours. These days, you see a lot of people unable to manage their emotions well.
Do not take up relationship when you still think like a child. If you are not ready to take up responsibility, do not go into marriage. You may be having money or being financially buoyant, but maturity matters a lot. How you respond to issues matters a lot in your marriage. When arguments come up, it should not lead to a point where couples start destroying valuable items in the home.
Do not get angry all the time. Anger causes destruction in a home that might have been built for several years. Do not be like kids, who want to throw away toys when they get angry.
In marriage, the woman is responsible to the husband and the man should be accountable to the wife. Marriage requires new skills in communication if it will work well.
The woman needs to grow up to be able to manage the home. Managing the home is not a child’s play.
You have to build a home that will suit your taste. Sweet homes were built by people. When your spouse gets angry, you put yourself into his or her shoes. Showing empathy to each other will help to run the family smoothly.
Appreciating the woman who does all the house work alone is good. From childbearing through nurturing them till they become adults rest squarely on the woman.
Building formidable marriage is not just for two people but for everybody around them. The woman should care for her in-laws and others in her care. Treating other children like her biological children.
In marriage, treat your spouse better than you handle your phones. Priority should be given to your spouse instead of phones. Some women can get glued to their phones for a longer period instead of attending to their husbands. Activities in your phones should not take all your time as your spouse is more important than them.
Some men often complain about their wives’ addiction to their phones.
There was the issue of a woman that was accused by her husband about getting glued to her phone always and the reason she gave was that her husband was not coming home when he should come. She said as a result of that, she needed something to keep her busy.
Avoid the habit of sleeping with your phones. It is disrespectful when a spouse is talking to a partner and she is attending to a phone or internet. This is a habit women should work on as it is in many homes. Experts say that it leads to emotional gaps.
In marriage, communication is key. Communication must be a two- way thing. When a partner is talking, the other must respond and not just nodding his or her head.
Couples need to be together for bonding. Relationship with children is temporary while that with spouse is more permanent. When children grow up and get married, they will leave the home while husband and wife will live on forever. You see where husband and wife will be living in a big house.
A spouse should be able to accommodate eath other’s weakness.
Do you know that home is a person. Life can give you everything you desire but can be disastrous if there is no love.
Do not allow fear to rule you while trying to show love in building your home. A situation where you think that after building a home and it tears apart in future. This should be discouraged.
When you grow up in marriage, you build formidable marriage.

Eunice Choko-Kayode

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Women

Women Can Eradicate Child Abuse In Homes

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It is disheartening to note how in the 21st century, some women abuse the rights of both their children and wards. No day passes without getting information on how a child was beaten with an object or harmful substance used on a child for little errors that should not lead to provocation.
The role of women in
curbing child abuse can never be over-emphasised.  Mothers are the ones who nurture and groom their offsprings and wards whether, biological children or adopted.
It is necessary that any child who falls under the supervision of a mother, be responsible to that woman.
Shaping the life of a child depends so much on the mother, even if certain percentage of care is being expected from a father.  The mother starts nurturing a child from age zero till the adolescent stage.  She should always do a follow-up at every stage of development of every child in her care.
Within the period of growth, if there are negative tendencies exhibited by the child, the mother should be able to identify before the child goes to school. This is because the child starts learning from the home.
When you talk about child abuse, it starts from the home and the way every child is treated matters a lot.
The menace called child abuse is something that every hands must be on deck to ensure it is eradicated in the society. The major agent of eradication is the mother.
There are various forms of child abuse.  You may discover that for every form of the menace, the woman is involved and should be held responsible for its consequences.
Of course, it is clear that child abuse does not have any positive impact on the society except the perpetrators of the act.  Some persons derive joy in seeing either their own children or other’s children being denied their rights to accomplish their own goals.
According to UNICEF in 1989, child abuse is the portion of harm to children that results from human action or inaction  that is proscribed, proximate and preventable.
The African Network for the Prevention or Protection against Child Abuse or Neglect (ANPPCAN), looked at child abuse as the intentional, unintentional or well-intentional act, which endangers the physical, health, emotional, moral and the educational welfare of the child.
Broadly, it means maltreatment of a child. It is any form of action that brings about physical, mental, psychological and social torture to the child.
When you talk about child labour, which includes buying and selling, most times, a woman will intentionally send the child out for hawking with the aim of making money. A situation where a woman’s children will be in school and she finds pleasure in sending a house help out potends danger to that child.
Just recently, when pimary and secondary schools resumed for third term, a woman told her househelp to resume school one week after resumption, thereby dening her classes for the first week of resumption.
A woman should not send an adopted child out to the neighbourhood alone to fetch water when her own children are idle because her role is to protect every child in her care, whether biological or not.
When you talk about child trafficking, apart from children being in school, the mother should be aware of the location of the child at every time. Monitoring the children should be the watchword of every committed mother. When a woman is careless about the whereabouts of the child, that child can be picked up from any location without her knowledge.
A woman should not express anger on everything the child does at home.   A child/ward can be corrected for wrong doing without being battered.  It has been discovered in some homes that child battering has led to death or deformity of some children. A mother should know the kind of punishment a child deserves for correction.
An undergraduate teenage student who was housed by another woman because the student was unable to secure accommodation in the university had it rough with the woman that it got to a point where she slapped the girl during examination period. She never considered that maltreating her could affect her performance in the semester academic work.
No matter the level of provocation, you don’t slap a student who is writing examination.
Some women neglect their children by sending them to others for inability to provide basic needs in the home.  Every responsible woman should be able to have the number of children she can cater for.  While the child is in another woman’s house, no one knows how many meals he or she takes in a day.
Sending a child out for hawking, especially a female, signals danger to the girl.  That is a simple way of exposing her to sexual abuse.  Some irresponsible persons with the pretence of buying something from her can lure her into undesirable sexual abuse.  The danger in this is that it can lead to unwanted pregnancy and contracting of STDs and HIV/AIDS.
Most rape cases that have been recorded are as a result of sending a girl out to hawk.
There is no harm in asking children to assist in selling so as to make up in the home, but if they are to sell in a kiosk no matter how little it may be, a mother can monitor the children there.
A mother should know that giving a child under the age of 18 out for marriage is an abuse. Women must nurture the children to maturity before sending them out in marriage because the dangers of underage marriage are devastating. When an underaged girl is given out for any reason for marriage, it must be remembered that any consequences that arise from that will fall back on the mother.
A mother should not send her child or ward out for prostitution in order to make money.
Parents and guardians, especially mothers should be more educated and more awareness acquired on why they should pay more attention to their children and wards.

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Women

The Wise Woman

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The wise woman builds her home. Mothers are supposed to live exemplary lives. The roles of mothers in the building of the modern Christian home cannot be overemphasized.
The function of the mother is to help the man build the home. She is a helper. A helper to the husband when the man is not doing well. It is important for the wise woman to assist when the man is not able to meet up with the items needed in the home.
A wise woman needs to reference God first and then the husband. Also the wise woman should respect her husband.
Caring for her own children as well as others is very crucial.
Do not despise children from other mothers. Discipline the child who is going the wrong way.
Ensure family bonding, show love and don’t discriminate. Connection with children is very important, especially the females. Find out who is her friend. Also find out the kind of lives they live. Caution, counsel and guide so that they make good partners.
Teaching children the dos and donts should start from birth. Inculcate the word of God in them so that when they grow, will not depart from it.
From the Scripture, some women influenced their families positively. Virgin Mary influenced the world, she never destroyed herself hence she gave birth to Jesus Christ.
Elizabeth, despite her age, God blessed her as she waited patiently.
A wise should curb favouritism in the family and love children equally. Whether a child is your biological child or not, it is necessary to show love equally. Reprimanding the children should be the function of both man and wife.

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