Articles/Reports
2004
REPORT ON THE STATE OF WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN NIGERIA
Nogi Imoukhuede,
Project Coordinator, Women's Rights Watch- Nigeria
The report has
been divided into the following sections for ease of reference:
1. SECULARISM
AND SHARIA LAW IN NIGERIA
i The politics
of polio immunisation.
ii Adultery and death by stoning
iii The closure of fun spots in Kano Sate
iv Taliban uprising in Yobe State
v Religious crisis in Jos and Kano
vi Implementation of Sharia criminal law in Nigeria
vii Religious crisis in Jos and Kano
2. EDUCATION
AND THE GIRL CHILD
3. RAPE
4. TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS
5. FGM- Female Genital Mutilation
6. THE DEBATE ON 'INDECENT DRESSING' IN NIGERIA
7. GROWING INSECURITY OF FEMALE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN NIGERIA
8. REPRODUCTIVE
HEALTH RIGHTS OF NIGERIAN WOMEN
9. FORCED
MARRIAGES IN NIGERIA
10. WIFE
BATTERY
11. THE
PLIGHT OF WIDOWS IN NIGERIA
12. EQUALITY
FOR WOMEN IN NIGERIA
13. HARMFUL TRADITIONAL PRACTISES AND BELIEF SYSTEMS
14. CHILD
LABOUR
15. WOMEN
AND DEMOCRACY
16. HIV/AIDS
AND WOMEN
17. WOMEN
ACHIEVERS IN 2004
1. SECULARISM
AND SHARIA LAW IN NIGERIA
i The politics
of polio immunisation.
The year began
with some states in Northern Nigeria, Kaduna, Kano and Zamfara,
banning the immunization of children gainst poliomyelitis. Their
decision was based on unconfirmed rumours that the vaccines had
been adulterated with a sterilization drug.
States like Sokoto, Jigawa and Katsina however went on with the
exercise.
The controversy
surrounding the safety of the oral polio vaccine was finally resolved
and the vaccine was declared safe at a meeting attended by all stakeholders.
President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu
Maccido(the spiritual head of all muslims in Nigeria), accepted
the final report submitted by a high powered verification team which
stated that tests conducted in about three countries, South Africa,
Indonesia and India indicated that the vaccine was safe, free of
HIV/AIDS virus, anti-fertility and other cancerous agents. The committee,
headed by the Shehu of Dikwa in Bornu State, Alhaji Kyari Ibn Umar
EL-Kanemi, was constituted following the rejection of the vaccine
in some parts of the north based on the allegation that it contained
strains of sterilization, HIV and cancerous elements.
The Sultan,
who said the Jamatul Nasril Islam (JNI) accepted the outcome of
the tests, called on all citizens to allow their children to be
immunized during subsequent campaigns.
He said, ''I want to categorically say that we accept the conclusions
of the committee's report that oral polio vaccine is safe and support
the declaration on Polio Eradication Initiative here presented by
the Vice President. I hereby urge all people to bring out all their
children [0-59 months] to be immunized during subsequent campaigns''.
He said the JNI believed in the cost effectiveness of immunization
as ''a strategy to reducing disease burden and urge all parents,
care givers, traditional, religious, community leaders and NGOs
to promote immunization as the child's right''. President Obansanjo
said he was delighted that the report had not only vindicated the
government but had also given it the needed impetus in its battle
to attain a polio free Nigeria. ''It is my belief that this report
will finally put to rest our fears and increase our commitment to
the Nigerian Child, while putting us forward and make us ambassadors
to our states and nations as we embark on advocacy campaigns and
local mobilisation strategies to reassure our people of the OPV,
we will reach all children, 0-59months, with two drops of safe potent
OPV during the scheduled National Immunisation Days, sub-national
immunisation days and responsive mop-up operations in the year 2004'',he
said. Reading the report, El-Kanemi said, ‘‘the details
of the results are contained in our report, which is that it is
the considered opinion of the committee that the oral polio vaccine
is safe''.
In March 2004
the United Nations reported that Nigeria now accounts for almost
half the world's cases of polio and that the disease cannot be stamped
out until a vaccine programme is re-instituted nationwide. But the
UN's special envoy on polio, Ibrahim Gambari, said he was hopeful
Nigeria would be able to overcome claims by radical Muslim preachers
there that the vaccine has been doctored in a plot to render African
girls infertile. As Gambari spoke at the United Nations, however,
the northern Nigeria state of Kano again rejected the vaccine treatment
as contaminated and unacceptable.
'Moves to block
the programme helped spread the disease to eight other nations in
the region, turning the crisis into an international issue that
needs urgent attention,' Gambari said. he said regional states would
likely meet next month to address the burgeoning crisis." Nigeria
has the highest number of wild polio virus and now accounts for
between 43 and 46 percent of the global total polio cases and 87
percent of the cases in Africa, said Gambari.
i i Adultery
and death by stoning
Once more cases
of adultery, punishable by death by stoning under Sharia criminal
law occurred in 2004.Trouble started for Fatima Usman(30), a divorcee
with seven children and Ahmadu Ibrahim (32) when the initial sentence
for adultery was overturned by the same Judge and converted to death
by stoning in a lower Sharia Court in Lambata. In this case Fatima's
father reported Ahmadu to the Judge, Abdulrahman Alhassan, for impregnating
his daughter, who had just been divorced from a third husband.
Fatima's father
insisted that he must be paid 150,000 naira (approximately $1150)
by Ahmadu, a "mai shai' -tea seller. The Judge referred the
old man to the police where statements were taken and the case went
to the Sharia Court. The court subsequently handed each of the accused
a sentence of five years in prison or a fine of 15,000 Naira, which
they could not pay and were remanded to prison custody.
Following his
inability to get 150000 naira as damages, Mallam Usman went to the
Sharia Court of Appeal in Minna where he lodged a complaint. Instead
of getting redress, the Upper Area Court Judge was summoned to Minna
where he was told he had erred in his judgment and that section
337 and 388 of the Sharia Code of Niger State had been amended to
death by stoning.
In another
case, Hajara Ibrahim, the teenager condemned to death by stoning
by Lere Sharia Court in Bauchi State for getting pregnant outside
wedlock walked home a free woman after the Dass Upper Sharia Court,
hearing the appeal brought before it overuled the lower Sharia Court
judgment. The family of Hajara who were dissatisfied with the lower
Court verdict went on an appeal to Dass Upper Sharia Court raising
five grounds of appeal and prayed the court to quash the Lere Court
judgment. Delivering judgment, the Sharia Court judge, Mustapha
Umar upheld the five grounds of appeal raised before the court by
the counsel to Hajara, Barr. Ndidi Ekekwe from Baobab, a Non-Governmental
Organization. The judge said the lower court erred in law when it
sentenced Hajara to death for adultery before passing judgment.
Umar added that it was ridiculous when Hajara who was not a party
to the case before the lower court was sentenced and the man accused
of the act was set free. He explained that the case brought before
the court was between Ibrahim Auta Imam versus Dauda Sani but the
court decided to pass verdict on Hajara who was not standing trial.
The court also declared that the lower court erred in law when it
sentenced Hajara to death when she is not married. He said the marriage
of Hajara was contracted in her absence, adding that on her arrival
she rejected the man and the marriage was not consummated, hence
she cannot be tried for adultery but for fornication, which attracts
a lesser penalty. The court also said the lower court erred in law
when it did not give Hajara the opportunity to defend herself as
provided in the Sharia Legal Code. Quoting from relevant authorities,
including Quran and Hadith, the judge set Hajara free, but warned
her to go and sin no more. Speaking after the verdict, Hajara expressed
happiness with the court verdict that saved her from the claws of
death and thanked media men and the human rights organizations that
worked for her freedom.
WRW-The domestication
of UN CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against
Women) in Nigeria is very important, because Nigerian women need
a legal framework that protects and promotes their rights. If CEDAW
is domesticated, violation of womens' rights can no longer hide
under cultural or religious practices and women will be empowered
to enforce their rights in court. The law of course will also serve
as a deterrent once there is strict implementation, one or two test
cases will provide legal precedence and gradually our case law on
women's rights will be developed.
The protagonists
of Sharia Criminal Law like to quote section 275 of our constitution
as establishing Sharia Court of Appeals and thereby recognizing
Sharia Law. Though this is true, section 277 of the constitution
resolves the ambiguity by clearly stating that the jurisdiction
of the sharia courts shall be strictly Islamic personal law.
Section 277(1)
The Sharia Court
of Appeal of a State shall, in addition to such other jurisdiction
as may be conferred upon it by the law of the State, exercise such
appellate and supervisory jurisdiction in civil proceedings involving
questions of Islamic personal law which the court is competent to
decide in accordance with the provisions of subsection (2) of this
section.
(2). For the
purposes of subsection (1) of this section, the Sharia Court of
Appeal shall be
competent to
decide-
(a) any question
of Islamic personal law regarding a marriage concluded in accordance
with that law, including a question relating to the validity or
dissolution of such a marriage or a question that depends on such
a marriage and relating to family relationship or the guardianship
of an infant;
(b) where all
the parties to the proceedings are muslims, any question of Islamic
personal law regarding a marriage, including the validity or dissolution
of that marriage, or regarding family relationship, a foundling
or the guardianship of an infant;
(c) any question
of Islamic personal law regarding a work, gift, will or succession
where the endower, donor, testator or deceased person is a muslim;
(d) any question
of Islamic personal law regarding an infant, prodigal or person
of unsound mind who is a muslim or the maintenance or the guardianship
of a muslim who is physically or mentally infirm; or
(e) where all
the parties to the proceedings, being muslims, have requested the
court that hears the case in the first instance to determine that
case is accordance with Islamic personal law, any other question.
Any offence
that attracts the death penalty must only by tried by superior courts
of record administered by trained lawyers. An example of total miscarriage
of justice in Fatima’s case is the judge reviewing his sentence
after the conclusion of the case, when the people where already
serving their sentences in prison! In law we say that the court
was functus officio (his functions had ended.) Worse still he (the
judge) was summoned by his superiors and instructed to change the
sentence! There was no appeal against the sentence by the prosecution.
As long as laymen who do not have legal training are preside over
serious legal issues that attract the death penalty, we will continue
to have such injustice! Our constitution guarantees our right to
life and to the dignity of the human being and also the right, to
fair hearing.
This case is
however different from those of Bariya, Safiya and Amina Lawal in
that, this time, both parties were convicted, unlike the previous
cases where the men were let off on the grounds of insufficient
evidence. Under Sharia Criminal law the proof of adultery is different
for the sexes, for the woman it is the evidence of her pregnancy
or the baby, while for the man, four male eyewitnesses to the act
of adultery have to testify against him.
Another argument
by Sharia protagonists is that section 38(1) of the Nigerian Constitution
guarantees the Right to freedom of thought ,conscience and religion.
That section is an individual right and does not allow our democratic
institutions to impose a state religion in any part of Nigeria because
we a multi religious nation. Therefore Section 10 of the Constitution
states:
The Government
of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as
State Religion.
Section 4 of
the Constitution confers legislative powers on the National Assembly
and the State Houses of Assembly, to make laws for the peace order
and good government of the country, in matters listed in the Exclusive
Legislative List and the Concurrent legislative lists; the matters
are itemized in parts 1 and 11 of the Second Schedule. A careful
study of both Lists reveal that neither the National Assembly nor
the State Houses of Assembly are empowered to legislate on religion
which not under any List.
Nigeria is thus
a secular nation, not a Christian or Islamic nation.
iii The
closure of fun spots in Kano Sate
The Kano State
Government ordered the immediate closure of all fun spots in the
44 Local Government Areas of the state. The order is preparatory
to the full implementation of Sharia in the state, circulars to
that effect, which originated from the Local Government Directorate,
were dispatched to the Chairmen of the 44 Local Government Areas
and copies sent to all security agencies in the state. The circular,
requested among other things that no brothel should operate in any
part of the state, while other public and private places where alcoholic
drinks and other perceived anti-Sharia activities were being carried
out should be identified for the purpose of taking appropriate measures
against them. Acting on the weight of the new order, a number of
local government councils embarked on rigorous media announcements
intimating the residents of this position and the consequences of
default. Kabo Local Government, for instance, through a radio announcement,
pleaded with free women in the local government to shun prostitution
as it promised to assist them get married or rehabilitate those
who could not find their husbands.
The issue generated fresh anxiety in the Kano metropolis, particularly
in the Sabon Gari Area of the city inhabited predominantly by non-
Muslims and non-natives, where most of the affected businesses are
allegedly carried out. The Hisbah has been clamoring for the total
application of all Sharia principles in the state since Kano adopted
the Islamic legal code about three years ago. The Sharia Police
(Hisbah) has been frowning at the haphazard implementation of the
Sharia law in Kano State.
WRW We state
that religion is personal to the individual and the Local Government
has no business finding husbands for their citizens.
Kano State Commissioner
of Education, Hajiya Balarabe Bello Maitama directed all private
school proprietors operating within the State to allow female muslim
students in their school cover their heads with (Hajib) in conformity
with Islamic code of dressing as from January 2005. This declaration
was made while addressing proprietors of private schools in the
State, saying the Kano State Government has resolved, following
complaints from some parents, that muslim female students attending
private schools do not cover their heads as stipulated by the Islamic
religion.
Her words “Kano
is an Islamic State as you all know, it is only proper for all the
female muslim students in the state to dress in conformity with
the Islamic mode of dressing. We are not saying you must all change
your school uniforms, we only want a little adjustment for muslim
students.” Hajiya Balarabe explained that having studied the
complaints critically, the State Government directed the State Ministry
of Education to direct proprietors of private schools to ensure
that as from year 2005, muslim female students dress properly in
their schools.
She stressed
that the Ministry is not trying to interfere in the affairs of private
schools in the State, but added that it is not out of place for
the Ministry to ensure that owners of private schools comply with
rules and guidelines of the State Ministry of Education. The Commissioner
then observed that the Ministry had received some reports some private
schools who are breaching the directives of the State Ministry of
Education and warned that the Ministry will no longer condole activities
of such private schools in the State.
Hajiya Balarabe
then expressed appreciation to the private schools in the State
saying that they have helped the State Government in providing learning
environment for the children in the State.
It will be recalled
that the State Government had directed earlier that all female students
in public schools must cover their heads with HIJAB in conformity
with the Sharia Law introduced in the State which has not been enforced
in all private schools in the State.
WRW –Kano
State is not an Islamic state, the constitution did not create Islamic
or Christian states, it is a state where majority of its citizens
are muslims.
Section 2(1) of the Constitution also states that Nigeria is one
indivisible and indissoluble sovereign state to be known by the
name of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
iv Taliban
uprising in Yobe State
Also in January
2004 there was a violent uprising of a fundamentalist Islamic sect
known as the AI Sunna Wal Jamma, otherwise known as the "Taliban,"
in Yobe State, northeastern Nigeria. No fewer than 10 persons, including
two policemen died in the week long violence, which resulted in
a presidential intervention. Federal troops successfully routed
the insurgents and took over the group's camp in Kanamma, located
in Yunusari Local Government Area. The confrontation, which included
the use of grenades and heavy mortar fire by troops deployed in
the area from Nguru, led to the destruction of farms and food crops
which forced the villagers to flee to Maine-Soroa Local Government
Area in the neighbouring Niger Republic where they were given shelter
and relief materials.
WRW -As is the case in all conflicts, women and children suffer
the most, in this case some became internally displaced, while some
became refugees in the neighbouring Niger Republic.
The destruction
of farms also created hunger and scarcity in the communities affected.
The Yobe State Governor, Alhaji Bukar Ibrahim stated that out of
the 57 core members of the group, 47 of them have been indentified
and that the members of the group were recruited from Lagos, Yobe,
Borno, Ogun, Ondo, Katsina, Kano and Kaduna States.
Investigation revealed that most of the members were discovered
to be undergraduates of universities, polytechnics and other tertiary
institutions across the country, which regard western education
as kafirci (something to do away with). They are individuals having
similar ideology fashioned after the sacked Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
Their leader who is from Borno State, but presently in Saudi Arabia,
is also referred to as Mullah, probably so named after the disposed
Afghan-Taliban leader.
Villagers first noticed the group’s activities, some eight
months back, in the year 2003, in Kanama (about 70 kilometers east
of Damaturu) specifically on the outskirts of the Jaji-Bir, where
their camp was located. The villagers complained to the Tarmuwa
Local Council authorities, which reportedly met with members of
the group claiming disenchantment with "corruption and injustice
in the society". They seek to alienate themselves from the
people so that they can pray and fast, said a source in Babangida,
headquarters of the Tarmuwa Local Council.
The leader of the group reportedly met with Yobe State government
officials, who advised the group to leave their self-acclaimed puritanical
life and join the larger society.
The group accepted the advice while promising to vacate their settlement
by December 20, 2003. According to a councilor in Tarmuwa, who refused
to disclose his name, "they assured the authorities that they
were going to leave on the agreed date, but apparently they had
other things on their minds."
After the expiration
of the December 20 dateupon their refusal to leave, the police stormed
their camp in Jaji-Bir, dislodging them while arresting some. But
the following day, the self-styled local Talibans mobilized themselves,
raided the police station in Kanama and succeeded in carting away
some ammunition. Consequently, Senator Adamu Usman Adamu, representing
Yobe East, called a press conference where he alerted the country
and the people of the community of the intention of the group and
the danger they portend. After the Kanama raiding, the group moved
to Geidam where they again attacked the police station and also
succeeded in carting away ammunition. From then on it became clear
to al l that the group had a different motive outside their religious
claims.
Their target was obviously the police and government officials,
said an official of the local council. The Assistant Inspector General
(AIG) of Police in charge of Zone 1, Alhaji Fatai Fagbemi, had to
move his office in Bauchi to Yobe State at the peak of the crisis.
WRW-These fundamentalists groups are terrorists, they are a threat
to our national security .So many innocent Nigerians have died in
all these religious riots and upheavals, many citizens have been
displaced, with Christians generally fleeing from the north, women's
rights and liberties have been curtailed and infringed upon as they
impose to their own brand of religion.
vi Implementation
of Sharia criminal law in Nigeria
The State Governor
of Zamfara Sate, the first to introduce the criminal aspect of the
Sharia legal system in Nigeria, has constantly urged Moslem scholars
to commit their knowledge into writing to erase misgivings about
the Sharia legal system. Speaking in October 2003 at the launch
of the book: ‘Sharia and Justice’ by Justice Bashir Sambo
in Kaduna, Sani argued that the sustenance and establishment of
the legal system could only be successful if it was properly documented
at every stage.
The first two
recorded cases of amputation under Sharia law came from Zamfara
State. The first was Malam Buba Jangebe, whose wrist was cut off
in 2000 over the theft of a cow. The second was Malam Salisu Baba
who suffered the same punishment for stealing a goat. Applied fully,
the Sharia extends well beyond the sphere of criminal justice, it
is a code for living that all Moslems should adhere to, including
prayers, fasting and donations to the poor. Women must cover themselves,
and the sexes are frequently segregated. In effect, the Koran becomes
a country's constitution. The Zamfara governor, referring to this
wider role of the sharia, says: "There will be no stealing
or corruption, and people's mental and spiritual well-being is going
to be encouraged." But such well-being is, of course, open
to argument. Iran's Shi'ite Islamic revolution in 1979 led the way
to a particular version of Sharia to which even many Moslems do
not conform. Women in Afghanistan must observe a strict dress code
or face punishment. The "Haddith" penal code of unalterable
punishments for certain crimes was firmly applied. And the Sharia's
call for "jihad" loosely interpreted as Holy War, but
which can also be used metaphorically to mean conversion of the
unfaithful was stressed. In Pakistan too, former Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif called for Sharia to be made supreme law in 1998. But
to what extent is it or has it ever been properly enforced? Not
much believes Nadeem Kasmi: "It is really questionable to what
extent Sharia as a philosophy is actually applied. "One could
easily argue that in Pakistan as in other places, it's applied rather
selectively and that certain interpretations are used simply to
gain political points on the part of some administrations. "It's
used willy-nilly, it's used ad-hoc. And so there is no systematic
Sharia law, in the same way as Saudi Arabia or Iran, where there
is a Sharia tradition." Sharia has been most consistently applied
in those societies without a significant non-Moslem population.
It was completely abandoned in Turkey as part of the country's latter-day-secularisation.
Elsewhere, as in partly Christian Sudan, those who do not want to
conform to an Islamic life style have seen it as divisive. And as
such, it remains a potent weapon in the hands of those populist
Moslem leaders who want to steal a march on their opponents.
vii Religious
crisis in Jos and Kano
There was also
a religious crisis, which first broke out in Plateau State and spread
across other states in the north in May 2004. The Secretary General,
Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Dr. Lateef
Adegbite, has described the crisis as threats to the stability of
the country. Adegbite who said the crisis was too prolonged expressed
the need for the Federal Government of Nigeria to urgently intervene
to halt the situation. According to him, the Federal Government
must fish out those fomenting trouble in Plateau State. While calling
for a lasting solution to the crisis, Adegbite further urged Nigerians
to learn how to live together peacefully. The NSCIA scribe pleaded
with Muslims to be peaceful, adding that Nigerians should be tolerant
of one another. Leaders of the non-indigenes community in Kano rose
from a meeting Thursday 29th May 2004 demanding for a halt to the
planned imposition of the Sharia legal system on non-Muslims. The
community leaders also demanded among other things, that the state
Sharia Commission, the Council of Ulama and Muslim clerics tender
an open and unreserved apology for their individual and collective
roles in the violence, which led to the loss of lives and property
worth millions of Naira.
Their demands
were contained in a press statement, which was jointly signed by
the state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN),
Bishop Foster Ekeleme and ten leaders of non-indigenes community
associations.
WRW- The call
of the community leaders is not unreasonable because when Sharia
Law was first imposed by some states in Nigeria, they promised that
it would only be enforced on Moslems. Once it became law, it became
applicable to every citizen in their respective states irrespective
of their beliefs.
The human rights
violations and constitutional breaches that have since been occasioned
include:
1 Alchohol has
been banned- violation of the Right to private and family life-
section 37
2 Public
transportation has been segregated- violation of the Right to freedom
from discrimination -section 42 of the constitution and article
18 (3) of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights
(ratification and enforcement) Act Cap 10 Laws of the Federation
of Nigeria 1990.
3 Gender
biased laws- different proof of evidence for males and females-
discrimination against women-same legal protection in 2 above
4 Violation
of freedom of religion-Right to freedom of thought, conscience and
religion, section 38
5 Breach
of section 10 of the constitution – Prohibition of State Religion.
The question
is how secular is Nigeria when some parts impose strict religious
laws using democratic institutions (legislature), the executive,
judiciary and the police to enforce compliance on the citizenry,
irrespective of their beliefs?
2. EDUCATION AND THE GIRL CHILD
The United Nations Education and Scientific Commission (UNESCO)
have rated Nigeria among the nine countries with the highest number
of illiterate population in the world. This disclosure was made
by the Minister for Education, Prof. Fabian Osuji, who stated that
the countries now identified as the E-9 group by the UNESCO had
Egypt as the other African country on the disadvantaged educational
chart. Others include Brazil, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and China.
Osuji stated that the United Nations Agency was involved in making
strategic contributions to the development of academics in these
countries with the target objective of attaining the Dakar Accord
which demanded that both the girl-child and her male counterpart
should benefit from equal educational opportunities.
A World Bank
higher education report in 2004 observed a low enrolment of women
in higher education worldwide. Focusing on the issues of quality,
responsiveness and equity, the document explained that women constituted
25 per cent of the enrolment in Africa, 35 per cent in Asia, 36
per cent in the Middle East and North Africa, and 47 per cent in
Latin America and the Caribbean.
The report further
observed that though many women are enrolled in post-secondary education,
they attend universities in smaller proportions. According to the
report, women are concentrated in traditional fields of study such
as nursing, teaching and clerical professions.
Based on its
findings, the World Bank identified access and narrow selections
of fields as the problems affecting women at higher level of education.
It identified four solutions to the university crisis. These include
creation of differentiated post-secondary institutions (to include
universities, short time careers, distance education, technical
institutions and polytechnics).
Others are cost
sharing, with government financing pegged to performance; and redefining
the role of government in higher education (to include adoption
of policies that recognize different types of higher educations).
It also suggested
the decentralization of universities to give them greater autonomy.
The report noted that many problems affecting women at the university
level originated at the earlier stages of schooling, and thus should
be addressed at those levels.
During post-secondary
schooling, it stated, girls should be exposed to and provided with
career information, flexible models of attendance, and separate
facilities appropriate to cultural practices. Citing instances across
the continents, the report noted that open university and distance
education have been of immense benefits in India, while participation
of women in higher education had been significantly increased through
scholarships in Papua, New Guinea.
It also noted
that provision of adequate boarding facilities had increased women's
access in India and Yemen, while for the same effect, Philippines
tried relaxing rigorous admission requirements for poor and rural
students, in addition to giving them financial support and remedial
instruction where necessary.
While not recommending
such affirmative action outright, the World Bank however stated
that the most direct way of increasing representation in higher
education of disadvantaged groups was to use what it called 'meritocratic
criteria'.
This, it noted,
included relaxing requirements, awarding bonus points on entry examinations,
imposing admission quotas and using a combination of these. It,
however, stated that the criteria were fraught with difficulties,
especially when the quality of higher education was highly variable,
as "they can involve high efficiency costs."
3.RAPE
We continued to record cases of rape against women and girls throughout
2004.A gynaecologist, Dr. Kenneth Akunna Uzoma, aged 50 was arrested
and detained by the police in Enugu , he was b charged to court
along with two nurses with abduction, drugging and raping of 12
teenagers. The police filed a 15 count charge of abduction of underage
girls for forceful sexual intercourse on the gynecologist, who allegedly
sold babies from pregnant teenagers to ritualists and childless
couples.
Police prosecutors formally charged him to the Chief Magistrate's
Court, Enugu, with two of his female staff, Stella Anike (23) and
Nnadikwu Chinyere, 22.
We also reported the case of a father who disowned his son for committing
rape and we salute his courage. For allegedly raping a JSS III student
of Osogbo Grammar School, Osogbo, a member of the National Union
of Road Transport Workers in Osun State disowned his son. The disappointed
father said he had shunned all entreaties prevailing on him to go
to the school and plead on behalf of his son. He lamented that it
was unfortunate that his son had taken to dishonourable living,
stressing that he was not in support of the action of his son. The
NURTW member, who was a former policeman, said he has seven graduates
as children, maintaining that his erring son should be made to face
the law. Explaining that so many of his friends and relatives had
put pressure on him to go and secure bail for his son, he identified
perversion of justice as an ill militating against the progress
of the country. He said punitive measures for offenders were to
serve as deterrent and correct the offender, stressing that attempts
to escape justice by offenders was incivility. The son of the transporter
and three of his colleagues, among whom was the son of a superintendent
of police, Osun State Police Command, allegedly forcefully had carnal
knowledge of a JSS III student after school hours, last week.
An Ahoada Chief
Magistrate Court in Rivers State sentenced seven cult members to
various jail terms totalling 124 months for rape and amputation.
The accused persons, who had been standing trial since 2003 for
the offences, belong to "Dewell" and "Degbam",
two notorious cult gangs in Rivers state. They allegedly organized
themselves in an unlawful manner and raped some women in Ahoada
and also cut off the right hand of one Ikechukwu Okwuoyibo ,who.
The offences were said to have been committed at the Ahoada main
Market in Ahoada East Local Government Area . Those sentenced were
Gift Uchendu (12 months) Ikechukwu Obara (12 months) Odiepele Reuben
(24 months), Chukwu Azubuike (18 months) and Peter Thompson Otuya,
who got 18 months.. However, the duo of Goddy Udeh and Chigbo Eke
who got 9 months and 19 months respectively, were given options
of fine. Delivering judgment in suit no AMC/148c/2003, the Chief
Magistrate, Mr B.M.F Jamabo, said that the prosecution had proved
its case against the suspects and that they had to be sentenced.
Jamabo, explained that the offence was punishable under section
516 (a) of the criminal code law of Eastern Nigeria, as applicable
in Rivers State. All the accused persons who had earlier claimed
innocence however, pleaded for leniency after the court verdict
was passed on them.
Nemesis caught
up with four armed robbers along Shagamu-Ore Expressway as they
set out to rape female victims after raiding a luxury bus. The robbers
met their waterloo as policemen from Odogbolu in Ogun State stormed
the scene.
It was also
reported that police officers including a Deputy Superintendent
of Police (DSP), James Utang of Police Detective College Enugu,
Enugu State raped two undergraduates. The police officers led by
Utang abducted, tortured and gang-raped two 100- level students
of Enugu State University Science and Technology. One of the suspects
tested positive to HIV and another to Syphilis. Since that report
an NGO in Enugu, WACOL has followed keenly the case. WACOL reported
that the suspects were arrested but have since been released on
bail and are back to their duty posts. Consequently, WACOL is disturbed
that the law enforcement agents who perpetrated this heinous crime
have been granted bail. Investigations revealed that the DSP has
a track record of sexual abuse and violence on innocent women and
girls. He therefore constitutes a serious threat to the society.
WACAOL has initiated many activities to bring the suspects to justice
which included a protest march to the Office of the State Police
Commissioner to register their protest against this act of gross
violation of human rights and the kid gloves with which the Police
has handled the case.
4 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS
The police in Kano arrested two suspected human traffickers as their
syndicate was allegedly preparing to move some Nigerian youths to
Libya. The suspects were found with 20 young men and women who they
intended to traffick for either prostitution or slave labour. The
suspects were arrested in a hotel on Abeokuta Road in Sabon Gari
while perfecting strategies for their trip. Mr. Mohammed Ganzali,
an Assistant Commissioner of Police paraded the suspects at the
headquarters of Zone 1. He said the victims comprised 14 men and
six women most of whom claimed they came from Benin City in Edo
State. They stated that they were to have left through the Nigeria-Niger
land Border in Jigawa State. He said they were arrested on February
2004 and that since then they have been helping the police in their
investigations. He disclosed that their arrest was made possible
by a tip-off. Most of the suspects denied the allegations that they
were traveling out either for prostitution or slave labour. ‘We
are leaving the country because of harsh economic environment. If
the atmosphere at home were friendly enough, no one would have thought
of traveling out. Let us admit things are bad here with lack of
job opportunities’. Some of them complained.
No fewer than
88 young ladies, between the ages of 19 and 27, were in February
2004 deported to Nigeria by the Italian government. The ladies,
according to police source, were among a ring of suspected prostitutes
earlier arrested by the Italian police. When they arrived in Nigeria
they were handed over to the Nigerian Immigration Service, who in
turn handed them over to the police at the Force Criminal Investigation
Department, Alagbon, Lagos. .
Some blamed poverty and hardship in Nigeria for their decision to
trade their bodies in Italy. Some unrepentant ones among them vowed
to find their way back to Italy, some few others said that their
deportation might not stop anything if their sponsors still wanted
them to return to Italy. A spokesman for the immigration authorities,
Mr. Ikpedeme King, said the ladies were deported for immigration
offences. He said he could not state whether they were prostitutes
or not.
No fewer than
74 Beninoise victims of child trafficking were also arrested and
repatriated in February 2004 by the Nigerian Immigration Service,
Ogun State Command. Investigations at the state NIS headquarters,
Abeokuta revealed that 54 of the victims were arrested on January
26 2004 at Agbara junction, on Lagos-Seme road. The NIS' record
also showed that the victims, who were between 7 and 14 years, were
heading for Ogun State, where they would be employed as farm workers.
The NIS Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr Eric Banugo, confirmed
the arrest and repatriation of the children.
Nigerian traffickers
may have devised insidious means of carrying out the dangerous trade
by, one of which is to flood the holy lands of Mecca and the Vatican
City of Rome with trafficked victims, under the guise of religious
pilgrimage. Reports from the just concluded Hajj and Umrah operations
indicated increased trafficking activities under the cover of pilgrimage.
For instance, the records show that over 1000 Nigerians were deported
from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between January and March 2004
for trafficking offences. Among the deportees were over 370 minors
between the ages of 8 to 14 years according to NAPTIP- National
Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons. The Executive
Secretary of the Agency, Mrs. Carol Ndaguba said that this was because
the routes to Italy, Spain and Belgium had become more difficult
for the criminals. Nduguba disclosed that in April 2004, 386 Nigerians
were deported from Saudi Arabia, including 9 traffickers who she
promised would be charged to court under the Nigerian law. The Executive
Secretary said that the legal and prosecution unit had started retrieving
cases from the police for quick prosecution under the new laws,
she said ' The Agency is building incontrovertible evidence against
the suspected traffickers who would soon be facing prosecution in
the law courts.
NAPTIP was established pursuant to the Trafficking In Persons (prohibition)
Law Enforcement and Administration Act 2003, with the responsibilities
of investigation and prosecution of offenders and the rehabilitation
and counseling of victims, in addition to public enlightenment.
Nigeria has thus become the first country in West Africa to establish
an anti- trafficking agency and enact severe anti- trafficking laws
in conformity with the United Nations Protocols and Conventions
and the ECOWAS Plan of Action against Human Trafficking.
Nigeria recorded
its first conviction of a trafficker, a 51-Year-old woman, Sarah
Okoya before the Benin High Court 1, presided over by the Chief
Judge of Edo State, Honorable Justice Constance Momoh, for trafficking
in women and inducing them to engage in prostitution. The accused
person was alleged to have, on June 27, and July 2,2004, at Uromi,
lured six persons to Cotonou, Benin Republic for prostitution. She
was also alleged to have procured international passports for them.
The victims were also in court to testify that the accused person
transported them from Uromi, Edo State to Cotonou for prostitution.
Before transporting them she took them to a juju shrine to swear,
the photographs of the victims were also recovered in the shrine
and tendered in court. The case was prosecuted by NAPTIP.
The United Kingdom and Nigeria are to work together in an effort
to trap human trafficking gangs and help their victims. Every year
thousands of women and children are smuggled into Europe and exploited
for sex and cheap labour. UK Solicitor General Ms. Harriet Harman
and Nigeria Attorney-General, Chief Akinlolu Olujinmi, signed a
Memorandum of Understanding in London on Wednesday 17th of November
2004, in which they agreed to share intelligence on criminals and
make it easier to extradite suspects.
The agreement
comes as the Metropolitan Police continue to investigate the murder
of a young boy, known as Adam, whose torso was found in the river
Thames. He is believed to have originated from the Western part
of Nigeria and may have been trafficked into Britain. Under the
new agreement, British and Nigerian Police Forces will share detection
methods and equipment. The two Countries have also agreed to give
medical and financial support to victims, especially those prepared
to give evidence against traffickers. Signing the agreement, Harman
said Britain and Nigeria wanted to emphasize that those being trafficked
needed protection.
She said, 'There
is a long tradition of families in rural areas of Western Africa
sending their children to the cities to get a better education-for
a 'better life' But the life that human traffickers into Europe
offer, is often anything but that. The trade in young women and
children bring a life of exploitation.' Olujinmi said human trafficking
was a heinous crime and Nigeria will be unrelenting in its fight
to stop it. He said, 'human trafficking is a violation of the dignity
of the human person. It preys on the vulnerability of young women
and children, particularly from developing countries of the world.
It is a crime that thrives on the network of traffickers across
countries' borders. The Traffickers should not be allowed a safe
haven in any part of the world.'
The Minister
for Cooperation and integration in Africa, Senator Lawan Gana Guba,
has said that identifying and combating the relevant syndicates
are the only solutions to the eradication of women trafficking and
child labour.
Recounting his
experience as an Ambassador in Libya, (Libya is a major transit
country) Guba said that women and children lured out of the country
under the guise of going to greener pastures usually ended up going
through most terribly dehumanizing experiences anyone could think
of.
"Out of
every 10, only about four get to their destinations as some of them
die in the desert due to the very harsh weather conditions,"
he said.
The minister
expressed regrets that victims of women trafficking were forced
into prostitution with attendant serious health implications such
as HIV/AIDS.
"There
is the need for massive public enlightenment campaigns both at the
national and regional levels in order to educate people on the dangers
of giving their children to human traffickers whether out of ignorance
or sheer greed," he said.
Finally the
Minister for Women Affairs, Obong Rita Akpan, has appealed to traditional
rulers in the country to assist in intensifying the campaign against
human trafficking by keenly monitoring the kind of persons visiting
their communities. She spoke while delivering an address on ‘Human
Trafficking and Child Labour’ at the Multi Purpose Hall of
the Imo State Government House, Owerri. The minister called for
an effective communal approach to checkmating the trend of child
trafficking and challenged the traditional rulers to be more vigilant,
adding that in virtually all instances where children had been kidnapped
in communities, the traditional rulers had always been there. She
added that it would not be enough going by the present situation
in the country to simply entrust the care of the child to the father
and mother, urging them to be more interested in the welfare and
safety of the people around them.
‘Let us
go back to our tradition of being our brother's keepers and keeping
our eyes on our neighbours' children. Our children belong not only
to us but to the communities, the local government, the state and
to our great country," part of the address read.
The minister,
who stated that trafficking in children in the country remained
the most heinous crime committed against the Nigerian Child warned
parents to be wary of relations who approached them with desperation
to take their wards to foreign countries in order to forestall any
incident of releasing such innocent kids into slavery.
WRW- We agree
with the Minister's suggestion that this issue should be addressed
from the grassroots because that is where the recruiting occurs.
We therefore expect the Ministry of Women Affairs to design and
implement a community based sensitization programme to prevent trafficking
of persons in the rural areas. The traffickers prey on the ignorance,
poverty and the lack of awareness of the communities to exploit
our children. In the case of HAG V Sarah Okoya , the six young victims
were recruited by a commercial motorcyclist who went to the market,
luring innocent and gullible young village girls and telling them
that his sister was looking for shop assistants to work for her
in Spain. We at WRW have always emphasized that the major cause
of human trafficking is poverty. Children of wealthy Nigerians are
not trafficked to Europe; instead their children legitimately travel
for study and for holidays. Therefore the sensitization must go
to the villages, where most of the recruiting is done.
5 FGM- Female
Genital Mutilation
The World Health
Organisation has reiterated its call to member states in the African
region to eliminate female genital mutilation often referred to
as female circumcision.
In a statement
from its office in Nigeria, the WHO said the practice, which comprised
all procedures involving partial, or total removal of the external
female genital organs whether for cultural, religious or other non-therapeutic
reasons, was still prevalent in 27 African countries.
In a message
to mark the First International Day on Zero Tolerance to FGM, which
was observed on February 6, 2004, the WHO Regional Director for
Africa, Dr. Ibrahim Samba said, "I appeal to all African countries
and their development partners to ensure that this practice is eliminated
in our continent." According to the statement, it is estimated
that every year two million girls in Africa are subjected to FGM,
thus compromising their chances of having a normal sexual and reproductive
life, and jeopardizing not only their survival but that of their
unborn children.
It said, "Immediately
complications that arise from the practice, include severe pain,
shock, hemorrhage, urinary retention, ulceration of the genital
region and injury to adjacent tissue." The statement further
noted that more recently, concerns had arisen about possible transmission
of HIV due to the use of one instrument in multiple operations.
It also noted
that long-term consequences included cysts and abscesses, damage
to the urethra resulting in urinary incontinence, sexual dysfunction
and difficulties in childbirth.
The Chair of
the Senate Committee on Women Affairs and Youth Development, Senator
Daisy Ehanire-Danjuma said research had shown that female circumcision
was not a panacea for promiscuity. Speaking at a workshop on 'Female
Genital Mutilation and Violence against Women', she said instead,
complications could arise from the practise, which she described
as injurious to the health of women. She listed such complications
to include excessive bleeding, urinary problems, difficult menstruation,
vaginal infections and infertility. Ehanire -Danjuma added that
FGM was a harmful practise based on tradition. The Senator said
that it was erroneous to believe that circumcising a lady would
stop her from being promiscuous.
According to
the statistics she gave, 140 million girls and women, mostly in
Africa had undergone one form of FGM or the other., while 2 million
were at the risk of being mutilated yearly. She lauded the Edo State
House of Assembly for being the first to in the Federation to pass
a law prohibiting the practise.
In his paper,
the Provost, College of Medical Sciences, University of Benin, Prof.
Friday Okonofua listed various ways by which women and girls undergo
the practise. The practise include partial to total removal of certain
parts of the female genitals.
Also speaking,
the Project Coordinator of Women’s Rights Watch Nigeria, Mrs
Nogi Imoukhuede described FGM as a violation of women's rights,
and gave an analysis of the Female Genital Mutilation (prohibition
Law of Edo State 1999.
6 THE DEBATE
ON 'INDECENT DRESSING' IN NIGERIA
A new issue
appeared on the gender arena in 2004.What constitutes decent dressing
for women in Nigeria especially our young women? The issue raged
across the country especially in the University campuses. Both sides
of the divide mustered strong arguments in support of their position.
Alleging series
of complaints about indecent dressing, the Zamfara State Governor,
Ahmed Sani announced a dress code for female youth corps members.
The Governor declared: "Any female corps members deployed to
the state will be issued with a new pamphlet to serve as a guide
on how to dress decently." The move, according to him, was
necessitated by the series of complaints received about indecent
dressing among the female corps members. The governor added: "I
want to tell you that we have drawn the attention of the concerned
authorities, we have gone to the extent of discussing the issue
with the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)."
Sani said he had mandated the association to counsel the affected
women, noting that both Christianity and Islam encouraged decent
dressing. He stressed: " All what we are trying to do is to
inculcate moral values among our young men and women." The
Governor had consistently assured non-moslem youth corps members
posted to the state of respect for their human rights. In fact,
some incentives were introduced for corps members who accept to
be posted to the state. However, in November 2003, the state's chairman
of the Sharia enforcement body, Hisbal, Mr. Ibrahim Kucheri, had
lamented that adherence to Sharia tenets was fizzling out in the
state. According to him, top government officials and traditional
rulers were particularly uncooperative. Kucheri made specific mention
of alleged indecent dressing: "Today, it is a common thing
to see non-Moslems parading the streets in provocative dresses."
As part of efforts
to instill discipline, the Federal Polytechnic, IIaro, Ogun State,
has given its lecturers the go-ahead to send indecently dressed
students out of their classes. The Rector of the polytechnic, Dr.
Adebayo Makanjuola, disclosed this after the institution's ninth
matriculation at IIaro in June 2004. He noted that since the institution's
academic board gave the directive, the students had started dressing
decently.
The Senate of
the University of Lagos in July 2004 introduced a dress code its
students. The dress code was aimed at curbing the menace of indecent
and sexually provocative dressing on campus, but it appears the
students are reluctant to comply with the new code.Reacting to the
new dress code a Lagos based women rights group, Women Advocates
Research Center, described it as unconstitutional. A statement by
the Executive Director of the organization, Ms. Abiola Akinyode-Afolabi
and Ms. Titi Salaam said that although the regulation included the
dressing of both genders, the real target were female students,
whom they called the victims of sexual assault and harassment by
male lecturers.
"The regulation
is a violation of the fundamental human rights of the students to
choose the way they want to dress without any form of intimidation
or harassment.
"The measure
by UNILAG is a misplacement of priorities because there are other
germane issues on the campus which they have failed to address,
which include issues of constant increase of school fees, cultism,
decadence in the educational system, inadequate infrastructures
to mention a few.
"We, therefore,
call on the school authorities to embark on a reprioritization of
issues that can better our educational system rather than focus
on imaginary issues of female dressing and its impact on the male
community which they represent.'
The Vice Chancellor,
University of Agriculture Aboekuta, Prof. Israel Adu, has warned
students that the institution will not tolerate any form of immoral
and provocative dressing. The Vice Chancellor gave the warning during
the 15th Matriculation
ceremony of fresh students of the University. According to him,
'as future leaders of the country, your training would involve both
academic and character development. You are expected not only to
pay due attention to your studies, but also to be of good behavior
and exhibit high moral standards at all times throughout your stay
in this university and beyond.' As part of efforts to instill discipline,
the Federal Polytechnic, IIaro, Ogun State, has given its lecturers
the go-ahead to send indecently dressed students out of their classes.
The Rector of the polytechnic, Dr. Adebayo Makanjuola, disclosed
this after the institution's ninth matriculation at IIaro in June
2004. He noted that since the institution's academic board gave
the directive, the students had started dressing decently.
The National
University Commission will not intervene on the issue of dress code
in Universities. TheExecutive Secretary of NUC, Professor Peter
Okebukola said that the Commission would leave the matter to the
authorities of the universities to handle because of the level of
autonomy they enjoy. He said the issue was among the code of good
conduct, which the individual university should handle. According
to Okebukola: in the spirit of autonomy, we leave our universities
to regulate their operations. We have encouraged our Vice Chancellors
to agree on a codes of conduct in all areas, including dressing,
good practice in terms of not being members of cults. 'And I know
that the Universities of Port Harcourt and Lagos are leading others
will follow. The university is not a hotel, it is not a hall house
and it is not a place you go to show the secret part of your body.'
Stressing that the NUC would apply sanctions on any
University, which failed to formulate a dress code, the Executive
Secretary said the Commission would henceforth focus on academic
standards, while the moral part of would be left for operators of
the institutions to deal with.
The Holy Trinity
Cathedral of the Onistha Catholic Arhdiocese in Anambra State also
recommended a new dress code le parishioners. The new dress code
seeks to bring some respect to the human body in the presence of
God. It was learnt that henceforth, the church would turn away ladies
and men who dress carelessly to mass and weddings.
Under the new dress code, it is an offence for ladies to wear dresses
with spaghetti straps or any dress that exposes the belly to the
church. Similarly, any dress, deliberately split by the wearer to
expose inner wears, the laps, the chest, the upper part of the body
and mini skirts will not be
allowed in the
premises of the cathedral.
Parishioners are also to avoid wearing shirts with unreasonable
inscriptions, just as they must cover their hair completely with
head ties and not handkerchiefs. Under the new dress code, women
were advised to stop wearing men's clothes to the church and vice
versa. Men were also banned from wearing vests, singlets, shorts,
bathroom slippers, dirty tattered and smelly clothes to church.
7 GROWING
INSECURITY OF FEMALE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN NIGERIA
2004 marked an upsurge of intimidation and attacks against female
government officials in Nigeria. Dr Dora Akunyili was a victim of
numerous threats and attacks by unknown persons because she is trying
to rid Nigeria of fake and substandard drugs. She narrowly missed
an assassination attempt. There are very few Nigerian women holding
important portfolios in Government, we have not even achieved 30%
representation in Government. The noticeable absence of women in
decision-making in Nigeria has continued to entrench the inequality
and poverty of Nigerian women.
The Minister
of Finance, Dr. Ngozi-Okonjo Iweala and the Minister of State for
Finance, Mrs Nenadi Usman were also victims of death threats and
the Government had to strengthen security around them to protect
their lives. The women are unpopular because of their uncompromising
stand against corruption in government.
We also reported
the case of a male Senator, Isa Mohammed who slapped his fellow
senator, Mrs. Iyabo Anisulowo. His action caused a huge public outcry,
first by his own constituency, then that of Senator Iyabo and Nigerian
women in general. The Senate later suspended Isa Mohammed for two
weeks after he had made a public apology.
Addressing the
press later, Mohammed said to err is human.
"I, Isa
Mohammed hereby, in the name of Almighty God, apologise to every
citizen of Nigeria, especially our mothers that I should be forgiven".
Reacting, Senator
Anisulowo said the issue was a forgotten one, as she has forgiven
him.
Women's Rights
Watch issued the following press release on the issue
Women's Rights
Watch vehemently protests the assault on Senator Iyabo Anisulowo,
a female senator by her colleague, Senator Isa Mohammed. We are
appalled that even at such level of governance our national leaders
still exhibit contempt for women.
The assault
is a violation of Senator Anisulowo's fundamental human rights,
her right to dignity, harassment in the work place and a crime against
her person. We call on the Nigerian Police Force to within 48 hours
investigate and prosecute the case in court, since Senator Anisulowo
has made a complaint. No body should be seen to be above the law
and the rule of law must prevail in this case.
This total disregard
for Nigerian women who make up half of the population is evident
in the way the National Assembly threw out the proposed bill on
Violence Against Women, if a prominent and respected woman like
Senator Iyabo Anisulowo, a former Minister who has faithfully served
her country can be treated like this, then it is no surprise that
gender persecution in Nigeria continues unabated. We can no longer
tolerate this kind of situation in the 21st century.
We therefore
call on the National Assembly to, with immediate effect domesticate
the UN Convention on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination
Against Women (CEDAW) and the passing of the bill on Violence Against
Women, so that the rights of women in Nigeria will be protected
and promoted by law.
8 REPRODUCTIVE
HEALTH RIGHTS OF NIGERIAN WOMEN
Nigeria alone
accounts for 20,000 out of the 70,000 women that die of complications
arising from unsafe abortion annually world wide, a reproductive
health expert, Dr Ejike Oji has said. Oji who is the country representative
of IPAS, an international organization that works in the area of
reproductive health, said although Nigeria contribute only two per
cent of world population, she alone accounts for 10per cent of global
maternal death rate.
Speaking at
the presentation of a health press kit on unsafe abortion, Oji said
about 20 percent of the 70,000 women who die of abortion related
problems annually are adolescents, mainly from developing countries.
According to him, abortion causes about 40 percent of maternal deaths
in Nigeria. Describing this as a tragedy of nationwide proportion,
he said, "the women die
unnecessarily
for problems that are preventable".
Observing that
the problem does not lie in abortion per se, he said the women,
mostly young girls die because of lack of access to skilled medical
experts. Describing the law is overly restrictive; Oji said of every
one death arising from unsafe abortion, 20 other women are maimed
for life as a result of complications, adding "one out of 100
women die trying to deliver a baby for us."
Nigerian women
he said, obtain 610,000 abortions yearly, mostly unsafe, with the
result that 20,000 of them pay with their lives while several others
are maimed in the process.
9 FORCED
MARRIAGES IN NIGERIA
We reported
the case of the sudden disappearance of Miss Ifeoma Nwankwo of the
Umuala community in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area of Abia
State a few days to her traditional marriage to a local Chief in
the area.
Miss Nwankwo
said to be in her mid 20s was said to have absconded from her home
during her beautification period preceding the marriage, which sources
indicate was against her wish. Ifeoma vehemently opposed the purposed
marriage to the man who was said to be far older than her, more
so as she had been engaged to a young man from a different culture
that she had earlier introduced to her parents.
Miss Nwankwo
had unsuccessfully pleaded with her aging parents to allow her marry
her boyfriend as against the local culture which gave the Chief
an edge over the young man from another cultural background.
At the height
of the disagreement between parents and daughter, it was gathered,
the girl was said to have run away to an unknown destination in
the night, few days to her marriage to the Chief.
Incidentally,
all efforts by Mr. Nwankwo and his family to trace Ifeoma's young
lover had also been abortive, raising fears that the young lovers
might have eloped so that they would be free to marry without any
cultural inhibitions.
When contacted,
Mr Sunday Nwankwo who was in Lagos in search of the run away daughter
confirmed to Sunday Champion that her daughter, Ifeoma had been
missing following disagreement over her marriage plans.
Mr Nwankwo who
appeared sober said he had visited prayer houses and had made several
contacts to trace the girl declaring that his insistence that Ifeoma
married the local chief was in accordance with the culture and tradition
of his people.
10 WIFE BATTERY
We reported
the case of Mukaila Adebayo who was married to 27-year old Adeola
Akinwale and in the morning of Sunday, January 4 2004, a disagreement
arose between the couple.
A fight eventually
broke out and the husband allegedly beat his wife to stupor. Consequently,
her pregnancy was forcefully aborted as she began to bleed profusely,
she was rushed to the hospital where she was later confirmed dead.
WRW- In our
society, wife battery is treated with levity and in fact it is not
a crime in Nigeria. A recent attempt by a coalition of NGOs to pass
a national law on violence against women was thrown out by the National
Assembly. The criminal code is, however, silent on wife battery.
Theoretically, such an act is covered by sections 351(assault) and
355(assault occasioning harm). In reality, however, wife battery
is treated by the police as a private family affair and is therefore
neither investigated nor the wife batterer charged to court or even
restrained from battering his wife. Ironically, if the woman dies
the husband may be charged to court for murder!
See the case
of Nafiu Rabiu vs. the State 1980, 8-11 Sc. Why! Why! Why! Why must
the authorities wait for women to die before their persecutors are
restrained?
In other developing
countries, there has been legal reform , The Domestic Violence Act
of Malaysia 1994 provides for a court granting protection order
to the victim, gives powers to arrest the batterer and provide a
six month imprisonment for contravention of protection order. The
Malaysian law also provides for compensation and counseling.
In most of our
cultures, during the traditional engagement and marriage ceremonies,
your family tells you that once you leave the home you cannot come
back. It is therefore not surprising that women tolerate years of
violence until old age eventually wears the man out.
At a seminar
on violence when I spoke against wife battery, and elderly woman
approached me and disapproved of the message I was sending. She
admitted that she had suffered from wife battery but was proud to
tell me that her husband no longer beats her. There are so many
reported cases of women losing their lives in the hands of their
husbands in Nigeria. When she is dead the police promptly step in
and charges the man for murder! Must we wait for women to be murdered
before the law can intervene?
11 THE PLIGHT
OF WIDOWS IN NIGERIA
The former Inspector
General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun ordered Lagos State Police Command
to suspend a plan to eject families of deceased police officers
from their quarters.
A statement
by the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Isreal Ajao said the order
is in line with the Inspector General of Police's welfare programme,
especially when the Force had not paid the affected relatives the
gratuities so their late breadwinners. The affected relatives had
in a report signed by Mr. Eyo Bamidele and addressed to the Inspector
General of Police alerted that Lagos State Command was planning
to eject families of deceased police officers from their quarters
at Mopol 20 Barracks without paying the affected families the gratuities
of their breadwinners.
The report stated:
"Most of the widows, if not all, have had to live from hand
to mouth along with their unfortunate children. Now that quit notices
were served the helpless families who have been given till May,
31, 2004 to vacate the quarters .We call on Mr. Tafa Balogun to
kindly use his good office to prevail on the Lagos State Police
Command, Ikeja Division of Mopol 20 Barracks to put this exercise
on hold and allow the affected families to collect their late breadwinners
gratuities before moving out. This must be done not just to properly
settle those widows and their children but also to convince policemen
still in active service that on retirement or at death, their gratuities
will be paid as appropriate. The IGP should also bear in mind that
most of these fallen policemen had served the nation for between
22 and 35 years. Paying their next of kin their gratuities, therefore,
is the least the government can do."
WRW-The plight
of widows in Nigeria! While acknowledging the fact that there is
scarcity of accommodation in the barracks but the authorities should
show some sensitivity! These men died on active duty, so at least
their families should be given some grace period. We are glad that
this directive has come from the Inspector General himself and we
commend him for doing the right thing.
We also reported
the case of a widow who successfully sued her brother in law in
court over her late husband's property which was seized by her brother
in law. The case was prosecuted by our Women's Rights Watch Legal
Aid Clinic in Suit No OR/ACC/95/2004 -Akpan v Akpan- The Plaintiffs,
a widow and her two sons successfully sued the Defendant, her brother
in law over the right to administer her husband's property and for
her sons to inherit their father's property. The Defendant seized
the deceased's bank papers, property documents and sold his late
brother's car. The widow became impoverished and her sons could
not attend school for one academic year. Delivering judgment the
court ordered that the Defendant hand over all the deceased properties
to Plaintiff and made the Plaintiff the sole administrator of the
estate.
12 EQUALITY
FOR WOMEN
Nigerians were
charged to join the global movement for social justice and gender
equality in order to achieve more desired peace in the country.
This call was made by the guest speaker, Professor Adetokunbo O.
Lucas, while delivering a lecture on the topic: "A world without
women- the end stage of discrimination, neglect and abuse"
as part of the programme organized by Women’s Guide Auxiliary
of the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, Lagos to commemorate
the 70th anniversary of the society. Lucas who is a professor of
International Health, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA, said the
systematic exclusion of women from key positions, the denial of
their basic rights and various forms of abuse will tend towards
the undeclared goal of achieving a world without women.
Through their
policies and practices, some families, communities and nations have
created their own little world without women. Explaining further
he noted that discrimination, which involve any distinction, exclusion
or restriction made on the basis of sex that has the effect of impairing
or nullifying the recognition of women, begins even in before conception
through infancy and "it persists through the lifespan to the
grave," and this has caused much disharmony in the country
.
We also recieved
a petition from a group of pregnant NYSC(National Youth Service
Corps) in Lagos State who alleged that they were being prevented
from participating in the scheme because of their pregnancies. Many
NGOs took up the issue of discrimination on their behalf and happily
the matter was resolved in their favour.
WRW- Women are
also discriminated against in the workplace here in Nigeria, some
are prevented from marrying or getting pregnant within a stipulated
period. WRW states that pregnancy is not a disability and women
should instead be honoured for fulfilling a national duty. Some
countries in Europe who are suffering zero population growth actually
pay their pregnant women to encourage population growth.
An expatriate
with Techint Cimi Montubi [Nigeria] Limited in Bonny, Rivers State,
Mr. Augustus Assuncao, allegedly assaulted a female staff of the
company. In a letter signed by the coordinator and program officer
of the Niger Delta Women for Justice an NGO, Ms Emen Okon and Robby
Itonyo respectively, the Italian company was asked to take responsibility
for the treatment of Miss Gloria Adams, who was allegedly assaulted
by its superintendent. In the letter, the group stated, 'We consider
Mr. Agustus Assuncao's action not only racist, but also a violation
of the fundamental human rights of Miss Adams, as guaranteed by
the Nigerian Constitution and other international human rights instruments.'
In a petition to the Chairman of the Nigeria Institute of Safety
Professionals, Rivers State branch, and the Niger Delta Women for
Justice, the victim recounted how she was attacked by Assuncao.
Adams, who works as safety officer with the company, reported that
the incident occurred when she sought the intervention of the Health,
Safety and Environment Manager, Mr. Della Porta, over some staff
who refused to carry out official instructions.
13 HARMFUL
TRADITIONAL PRACTICES AND BELIEF SYSTEMS
Mrs. Esther
Ekedigwe was alleged to have absconded from the community in Amaozalla,
Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu state since February 2004,
to an unknown destination following the death sentence pronounced
on her for refusing to serve the ODO deity worshipped by the community.
The worshippers of the gods passed the death sentence as the only
way to appease the deity, which is held in high reverence for an
offence allegedly committed by Esther who resisted the order and
later disappeared from the village.
The whereabouts
of Mr. And Mrs. Ekedigwe and their three children is unknown to
their relatives who are worried about their safety. Esther a devout
Christian was said to have been selected through traditional balloting
to serve the deity which she reportedly declined and even chose
to die. She later ran to an unknown destination with her entire
family without the knowledge of anyone. Mrs. Ekedigwe’s brother
-in- law, Michael Ekedigwe told Sunday Sun that he does not know
where his brother has escaped to with his family since the death
sentence was pronounced on his wife. Michael is therefore in a dilemma
regardless what action to take. He described the deity as a very
powerful god that is usually served by women.
According to
him, ODO is a deity that is celebrated in the community from time
immemorial and during the festival, some maidens irrespective of
their status were chosen to serve it and any defaulter is condemned
to death by stoning. Mrs. Ekedigwe’s case falls into this category,
but she has remained resolute not to taint her Christian faith.
Consequently, their house was set ablaze by the deity worshippers,
a situation that has forced some members of the family to relocate
and become refugees in their own community. While Christians were
thrown into confusion on what becomes of them, as the ODO was believed
to be a powerful god that has potent powers to do nasty things.
The catholic
priest of St. John’s Church Amaozalla, Rev, Dr. Francis Chigbo
told Sunday Sun that the attention of the State Governor and the
National Assembly had been drawn to the actions of the ODO worshippers
and advocated for a stringent law that would stop their nefarious
traditions. He wanted the National Assembly to abolish finally some
of the traditional laws and traditions that are inconsistent with
natural justice, equity and good conscience. Chigbo expressed worry
that the relatives have been subjected to untold hardship as a result
of the incidence.
The catholic
priest who condemned the incident also wondered why the State Government
should remain silent on the abominable act. Allowing the worshippers
of the deity to take laws into their hands, forcing innocent and
hapless women to worship a man made god against their will that
condemn those who refuse to death. Investigation by Sunday Sun revealed
that many women in Ezeagu have lost their lives for their refusal
to worship the odo deity. The worship of ODO has become a tolerable
tradition in Enugu State and the liberty given them has positioned
the worshippers at the cross road with Christians that if nothing
drastic is done, it could degenerate to sectarian war.
Twenty seven
persons were yesterday feared dead in Ozalla Community in Owan West
Local Government of Edo State following the intake of a concoction
allegedly administered on them during a witchcraft verification
exercise by a herbalist hired by elders of the community. Vanguard
gathered that the bodies of those who allegedly died after taking
the concoction, mostly women and teenage girls were deposited in
the hospital for autopsy and determination of the components used
for the preparation by the herbalist. It was gathered that 24 hours
after the intake of the concoction on a market day, the whole community
was thrown into confusion as those that participated in the witchcraft
verification exercise started dropping dead, while their families
staged protest against the leaders for allowing the barbaric act.
Vanguard learnt that the herbalist was brought to the community
on the prompting of a retired officer, who accused the women of
causing havoc in the area with witchcraft and asked the herbalist
to exorcise the spirit from the area. On the explanation of the
officer, the elders of the community were alleged to have agreed
to the exercise. A community source told Vanguard that when the
herbalist arrived the whole exercise started on a market day at
the Onotare Palace Ground, where many of the victims confessed of
being witches, but those that denied being involved in witchcraft
were made to also drink the concoction. A few days after the consumption,
they started dying. There were nineteen women involved and nine
men.
The Nigerian
Police in August 2004 raided a wife-swapping Islamic sect known
as Yan-Gwagwarmaya whose members exchanged their wives. The sect,
which is reported to have thousands of followers, had incensed other
local Muslim groups by calling their base the Kabah - after Islam's
holiest site in the Saudi Arabian town of Mecca. Their motto is:
"Love your neighbour as yourself, share your wives with your
neighbour."
The Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare,
Prof. Ekaette Etuk and the leader of ABANTU, an African and gender
oriented non governmental organization has condemned the alleged
demand for the head of a pregnant woman by a village head in Akwa
Ibom State. Etuk said that it was unbelievable that such things
could still happen in a 21st century society ,adding that it was
unfortunate if indeed the monarch had made such a demand on the
construction company. 'It sounds unbelievable! If the allegations
are true, then the traditional ruler is wrong because he is supposed
not only to be the custodian of the culture of the people but their
welfare also', said the commissioner.
She maintained
that it would be wrong for anybody to be sacrificed for any purpose
of bringing development to the community and called for enlightenment
for the people to appreciate the importance of human life and the
rights of individuals. She said that the Akwa Ibom State Government
was moving away form the strategy of social welfarism to empowering
the women, education and financial help towards capacity building
and self -actualisation .
Etuk said that through these ways, the women would be in a position
to the upkeep of their families, adding that the women in the state
were also given legal empowerment. In her reaction, the ABANTU boss
said such barbaric demands by the traditional ruler showed how women
were regarded in some traditional societies in the country and wondered
why the head of a pregnant woman
would be used for any ritual.
14 CHILD
LABOUR
Child domestic labor is a widespread and growing global phenomenon
that traps as over 10 million children, mostly girls, in hidden
form of exploitation, often involving abuse, health risks and violence.
Children in domestic labor are usually invisible in their communities,
working for long hours with little or no pay and they were frequently
abused as well as deprived of the chance to go to school. While
acknowledging the difficulty of providing precise figures for the
numbers of domestic child laborers worldwide, the International
Labor Congress said that they comprised a substantial portion of
the more than 200 million children workers all over the world.
According to
the Director General of the ILO, Mr. Juan Somavia, millions of children
work night and day outside of their family homes, toiling as domestic
child laborers. Nearly all are exploited, exposed to hazardous work
and subject to abuse. Speaking during the third World Day against
Child Labor, Somavia defined child domestic laborers as all children
in domestic service who are under the legal minimum working age,
as well as those above the legal minimum age but under the age of
18, who are in an exploitative situation.
The ILO launched
the world day in June 12,2002, to raise awareness on the problem
and highlight the global movement to eliminate child labor, particularly
its worst forms. The author of a report prepared by the ILO's international
program on the elimination of child labor Dr. June Kane, said, 'the
children are in a work place is someone else's home, hidden from
public view and labor inspection. The children are consequently
at risk not only of exploitation but also of abuse and violence.
It is vital that child domestic labor, so often neglected because
the exploitation and abuse takes place behind closed doors, receives
attention.' Kane quoted the report that more girls, who were under
16 years of age, were working in domestic service than in any other
category of labor. Citing countries like Brazil, Guatemala and Costa
Rica, he argued that more than 90 per cent of children working in
domestic service are girls.
According to
the author, the status of women and girls, family and child poverty,
ignorance of the risks of domestic service, the increasing number
of AIDS orphans and the persistence of traditional hierarchies all
contribute to pushing children into domestic labor. Kane argued
that not all child domestics end up without a future. Using the
reports from Asia, Central and South America and Africa as examples,
he stated with strong social and national institution and income
or credit options for the parents, children under the minimum working
age could be successfully removed from domestic labor. The Director
of IPEC, Frans Roselaers, described child domestic labor as a waste
of human talent and potential, adding that with the help of constructive
and sustainable solutions from the ILO technical cooperation program,
governments, employers and workers worldwide are ready to put an
end to the abuse. In his opinion. President of the National Union
of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non Metallic Products
Employees, Mr. Moses Gbadebo, said that all child laborers, without
exception, are at risk because of the very nature of child domestic
labor, which is not only widely accepted but often considered a
'better' alternative for children from poor families.
He identified
factors responsible for the increasing level of child domestic laborers
in most countries especially Nigeria, to include the perception
of domestic service as preparation for marriage, the increasing
affluence of parts of the population that reinforce hierarchies
and the need to pay off debt. Employers are often seen as benefactors
or as an extended family.
15. WOMEN AND DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA
The Chairperson
of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs, Senator Daisy Danjuma
took a swipe at the nation's evolving democratic governance, saying
that it lacked popular participation.
Danjuma who
made the statement at the induction ceremony into the Nigerian Women
Hall of Fame organized by the National Centre for Women Development,
Abuja, noted that despite being in the majority, women were yet
to enjoy reasonable political representation.
"Nigeria
and indeed African countries cannot be said to be practicing true
democracy as long as the over 60 per cent women population are denied
of fair participation in the scheme of things", she declared.
Senator Daisy Danjuma added that the country's and indeed African
democracy cannot be complete without the adequate participation
of women.
WRW- In the
National Assembly in Nigeria we have only 3 female senators out
of 109 and only 21 female members of the House of Representatives
out of 320.
16. HIV/AIDS AND WOMEN
The United Nations
reported that HIV/AIDS has become a disease of women as its worldwide
spread accelerates and increasingly affects women. Latest figures
show that 4.8 million people became infected with HIV in 2003 -
the highest number in any year since the Aids epidemic began. The
total living with HIV/Aids rose to 37.8 million and there were 2.9
million deaths. Peter Piot, executive director of UNAids, which
published its fourth biennial report on the disease, said Aids was
becoming "more and more a disease of women "Having largely
affected men in its early stages, the proportion of women infected
had risen to almost 50 per cent globally and to 57 per cent in sub-Saharan
Africa. The United Nations Development Programs [UNDP] said that
5%, or 3.8 million Nigerians are living with HIV/AIDS and about
1 million Nigerians are already orphaned by the disease. The report
however, noted that the prevalence rate in Nigeria has dropped from
5% in 2003, giving credit to Government and Non-Governmental Organizations.
The UNDP resident representative in Nigeria, Tegegnework Gettu,
said that experience has shown that without sustained, multi-dimensional
and multi -sectoral effort, rates of 5% can exceed 30% in a relatively
short period.
Swaziland and
South Africa had prevalence rates of 2% in 1994 and today have rates
of 40% and 25%, he warned. According to him, 70% of adults and children
living with HIV/AIDS live in Africa, while 75% of the 22 million
people worldwide who have died of AIDS are from Africa. The level
of poverty and inequality, the exclusive, discriminatory policies
that created wide spread fatalism, the continued cycle of conflicts
and disruption and neglect by government and sexual behavior are
among the major causes of HIV/AIDS in Africa, including Nigeria.
17. WOMEN
ACHIEVERS IN 2004
Chief Joy Ezeilo
of WACOL was appointed a Commissioner in the Enugu State Executive
cabinet.
Dr Timeiebi
Koripamo Agari, a foremost feminist was appointed a Federal Permanent
Secretary for the Ministry of Labour and Productivity. We are also
happy to report that out of the three permanent secretaries appointed
two were females! The other lady is Ambassador Nkemnika Wadibia.
We wish them a very successful tenure of office.More power to Nigerian
women!
Kenyan environmentalist
and human rights campaigner Wangari Maathai won the Nobel Peace
Prize.
She is the first African woman to be awarded the peace prize since
it was created in 1901.
Ms. magazine
announced its Women of the Year, celebrating the achievements of
extraordinary women in 2004. Among these highly successful and inspiring
women is Ms. Saudatu Shehu Mahdi, a Nigerian leader in women's rights,
and an alumna of the Centre for Development and Population Activities
(CEDPA) Institution Building workshop.
Through her
work at the Women's Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative
(WRAPA) in Nigeria, Mahdi works to promote and defend women's rights.
The National
Centre for Women Development, Abuja established a Hall of Fame and
twelve Nigerian Women high-achievers, including the Director General
of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control
(NAFDAC), Dr. Dora Akunyili honoured at the event, which also saw
key structures of the Centre named after some notable women both
living and dead.
Among the distinguished
women admitted into the NCWD hall of |