Why Do We Treat Women Like Trash In Nigeria? Women Should Be Given The Same Rights As Men

I shed an ocean of tears when I hear stories of rape cases, physical assault and forced prostitution. I feel shattered when I see our young girls being coerced into early marriages. My heart bleeds when I see our ignorant elders engaging in harmful traditional practices like female genital mutilation. All these awful acts of gender violence happen in our society. 

Gender based violence is a global pandemic that affects one in three women in their life time. The term 'gender violence' refers to any act of violence that results in physical, emotional, sexual, psychological harm or suffering to a particular gender. Basically, females are the victims of gender violence. 

Gender violence is regarded as a vicious cycle because it revolves over and over again. A vicious cycle is a negative series of events that build and reinforce each other. An initial act of gender violence can fuel other forms of gender violence. It is also evident that these abused victims follow the example of violence they were exposed to as children and then later on continue the cycle when they become adults. 

However, gender violence can be in different forms. It could be in the form of sexual violence, harmful traditional practices, emotional and psychological violence, physical violence and socio-economic violence. 

“On the 27th of May 2020, a 22-year old 100 level student of the university of Benin, was raped and killed inside a church during her study hours.”

Below is a picture of the girl that was raped and killed:

The above incidence is a typical example of sexual violence. Sexual violence includes rape, marital rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment and forced prostitution. Rape is the act of forcing sexual intercourse upon another person without their consent or against their will. Sexual violence is a form of gender violence and should be shunned. 

Harmful traditional practices is another crucial form of gender violence. A typical example of this harmful act is female genital mutilation (FGM). This mutilation involves the partial or total removal of the female genital whether for cultural or non-therapeutic reasons. This barbaric act has no benefit but rather harms the victim. It may lead to ulceration of the genital, urine retention, severe pain, complications during childbirth or even death. Some other examples of harmful traditional practices are early marriages, forced marriages and denial of education. 

Below are some pictures to illustrate harmful traditional practices in Nigeria:

Emotional and psychological violence is a form of gender violence which involves depriving females of certain human rights. It also involves verbal abuse, humiliation and other acts that could affect them emotionally and psychologically. 

On the 22nd of July, 2020, a video was released by a certain twitter user that clearly showed a young lady being harassed by some police officers based on allegations of being linked with an unnamed fraudulent man in Ibadan. This incidence paints a vivid picture of what emotional and psychological violence looks like. The fraudulent man in question here was not harassed or humiliated. Rather, it was the innocent lady that was harassed and humiliated all because of her gender. 

Below are some of the pictures of the lady that was harassed by some police officers in Ibadan:

In our society, men beat up their wives and we feel it is normal. This is nothing but physical violence which is a form of gender violence. Physical violence involves physical assault like beating, punching, kicking and so on. Physical violence may lead to injury or even death of the victim. 

Below are some pictures to illustrate physical violence:

Socio-economic violence involves the denial of certain socio-economic rights. This is done to females mostly. It involves discrimination, denial of opportunities, services, health assistance, education and employment. They also deprive them of some political rights. Sometimes, I wonder why Nigeria had never gotten a female President ever in history. Well, I guess the answer lies in gender inequality.

Gender violence is a vicious cycle which keeps revolving. How do we end this cycle? How do we break this chain? Well, a common saying goes thus:

“There is no problem without a solution”.

To end this vicious cycle of gender violence, I suggest that the following are strongly put into consideration:

Solutions To Gender Violence In Nigeria.

1. Public Awareness Creation:

 Firstly, there should be creation of public awareness on 'gender violence'. The public should be educated on the terrible effect it has on our society. Illiteracy is the major cause of gender violence. So, to break this cycle of gender violence, we must first of all, break this chain of illiteracy. The public should know the implications of some of their harmful practices. They should be informed that no gender is superior or inferior to the other. I strongly believe that if there is a thorough public awareness creation on 'gender violence', this vicious cycle would be a thing of the past.

2. Victims Should Be Encouraged To Speak Out:

Also, the victims of gender violence should be encouraged to speak out. Silence actually allows violence. When the victims fail to speak out, they are indirectly permitting gender violence. A lady that is being violated of her rights should speak out. Victims of rape should speak out so that the perpetrators don’t go scot free. It saddens my heart when I see wives been beaten by their husbands and they refuse to voice out. Such woman would keep enduring until her husband beats her to death. I believe that if our women are encouraged to speak out, this vicious cycle of gender violence can be eradicated.

 3. Enactment Of Laws Against Gender Violence:

Most importantly, there should enactment and implementation of laws guiding and acting against gender violence. This is the role of the government. The government should create laws to guide against all barbaric acts of gender violence.  

4. Punishment Of Law Offenders:

Furthermore, law offenders or law breakers should be given severe punishment. This helps to discourage others from the same act. For instance, punishment for rape perpetrators can be castration and then life imprisonment. When this kind of punishment is set in place, people would be dissuaded from committing rape. 

5. Alleviation Of Poverty:

In addition, the government should do everything within their means to alleviate poverty. Poverty is one of the bedrock of gender violence. It is poverty that makes parents force their children into prostitution and early marriages. It also makes some parents send their male children to school and neglect the females. Hence, there is a need to alleviate poverty in order to end gender violence in our society.

Below are some pictures to illustrate the state of poverty in Nigeria:

6. Involvement Of Religious Bodies And Advocacy:

As a matter of fact, the establishment of school-based advocacy programs, increased involvement projects with men and boys advocates, engagement of traditional rulers and religious bodies (churches and mosques) would greatly reduce all forms of gender violence in our society.

If the above considerations are put in place, our world be a better place and gender violence would be long forgotten. Don’t you want a better Nigeria? Just imagine having a society where women are given the same rights as men. How lovely would that be! 

In essence, gender violence is an awful act that violates the right of an individual and should be shunned in our society. Nicole Kidman said:

“Violence against women is an appalling human right violation. But, it is not inevitable. We can put a stop to this.”