Sixteen Days of Activism : A Deeper reflections 

Sixteen Days of Activism : A Deeper reflections 

By: Dorothy Nuhu

The recent flag off of Sixteen Days Activism, Against Gender Based Violence was remarkable as it painted the world orange. Violence against women particularly remains of focused.

Even though these sixteen days are set aside for global action to cause all stakeholders at all levels to:Raise awareness on violence against women and its negative impact. Create a fora for stakeholder dialogue on strategies to uproot this menace from our communities. Recognize and promote best practices aimed to eliminate violence against women. Advocate for policies, laws, and resources to end violence against women. Provide full range of services to women of all ages experiencing gender-based violence and point women to where they can obtain these services

Year after year, women continue to experience violence at home, at workplaces, in the streets.

In some communities in  Nigeria, it is still believed that it is okay to discipline a wife or a girlfriend by hitting her to submission. Sources continue to report a surge in violence against women in Nigeria as insurgency and banditry continue to spread across the country.

On 19th November 2021, various news channels reported the abduction of 22 girls between the ages of 15 to 17 years from Rafi Local Government by armed men suspected to be Boko Haram.

Reports show that physical, sexual or emotional violence by a partner rates are as high as 69 percent. 

A 17 year old girl who has spent less than 10 weeks in the University reports home that her lecturer pinched her on her arm from behind. She flares up, turns round only to see that it is her lecturer. Her parents join in their own share of the trauma and helplessness caught up in the fear of reporting to the authorities and risk setting their daughter up as target for more abuse and victimisation by other lecturers who may act in solidarity with their colleague. The mother tells her own story of the near misses during her own University days resigned to prayers.  Do the complexities that the girl is left to navigate in a situation such as this not leave you wondering how girls in our Universities navigate life?

At The International Centre For Sexual Reproductive Rights (INCRESE), our psychosocial service department attend to an average of 3 women every week.

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On the eve of the flagoff of this years 16 Days of “Activism Against Violence Against Women” ,  our programme officers and lawyer were taking inventory of refunds that a man was requesting from a wife who filed for divorce on grounds of physical and emotional abuse.

The disturbing fact is that the courts usually approve the claims by the man for a refund of the dowry and other gift items, including the ones that were freely given during dating and courtship! And it doesn’t matter for how long the couple have been married.

This subjects women to a new level of abuse and exploitation for daring to file for divorce even on grounds of abuse.

It is therefore no longer a surprise to see the rising impunity in gender based violence in our country. We have continued to harbour obnoxious practices and beliefs in our legal system and in our society in general. Why should a woman refund even a dime to a man because she is the one seeking divorce? Why should a large scale insecurity such as we have persistently target our girls and women with no repercussions?

International days such as the 16 Days Activism Against Violence Against Women is supposed to make impact resulting in changes that makes life safe for women and girls.

I am advocating for interventions that go beneath the surface of this menace to the roots.

I am advocating for gender transformative interventions that are radical using the intersectionalities approach. At INCRESE, these approaches have been working for us. We weren’t featured as one of the best 4 practices globally working with girls aged between 10 and 18 to elimate child marriage.

Our aim must be to uproot patriarchy and to mainstream human rights principles; gender equality equality and dignity.

* Dorothy Nuhu-Aken’Ova writes in from Minna, north central Nigeria.

Sixteen Days of Activism : A Deeper reflections