When struggle for the rights of women, girls took FCT by storm

Over the years, calls for the rights of women and the girl-child have become the norm of the day, with several organisations coming up with programmes, rallies, workshops to create awareness on the need to have a level playing ground for both genders. The call for equal opportunities for both sexes without discrimination, in schools, […]

Over the years, calls for the rights of women and the girl-child have become the norm of the day, with several organisations coming up with programmes, rallies, workshops to create awareness on the need to have a level playing ground for both genders.

The call for equal opportunities for both sexes without discrimination, in schools, work places and governance has become the order of the day.

But never has a conference been organised that seeks to push for better collaboration between security outfits and nongovernmental organisations to ensure a safe environment for the development of the girl-child as that a couple of days ago.  

It was a three-day brain-storming event on women in security, defence, law enforcement and judiciary, themed, ‘Women in National Security and Development: Daunting Challenges and Great Prospects’.

The conference, jointly organised by the Faculty of Social Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, International Institute for Security and Governance Studies, Abuja and National Council of Women Societies (NCWS), was held at the NAF Conference Centre, Abuja and Barcelona Hotel  from July 18 – 20, 2017. 

The conference had in attendance officers from the Police Force, Navy, Army, FRSC, Customs, Prisons, Judiciary, NCWS, National Assembly, NSCDC, WRAPA, NAPTIP, WOTCLEF, NNPC and Women Affairs Ministry, among others.

A total of 152 middle level and senior officers, including professors from several universities, officials from parastatals and other agencies in the education sector were in attendance.

Dr David Okoror, Director of the International Institute for Security and Governance Studies, Abuja, who also doubles as the director of the conference said it would provide opportunities for networking among all the agencies for better handling of women issues.

His words, “The conference will further support efforts to empower and integrate women to play more constructive leadership roles in their organisations.

“This conference will bring professionals from various agencies to brainstorm, network and synergize while building collaboration across services. Though little rivalry exist in the agencies but meetings like this will enable them drop their guards and have friends across several security outfits.”

One of the key highlights at the event was the speech by the Dean of Social Sciences, Professor Paul Pindar Izah, who emphasized on need for government to create a conducive working environment devoid of sexual harassment and violence and remove stereotypes that prevent women from contributing to national development.

He said, “Women make up 50% of the country’s population, if this number is neglected, then the country is doomed. We need to actively involve our women in decision making and carry them along in all aspect of our lives to develop at the pace we are supposed to.”

According to the professor, the senior female officers who avail themselves the opportunity to attend the conference will take the lead in addressing issues of increasing crime against women; women trafficking; sexual harassment of female students and women in work places; and the vexed issue of girl-child education.

The Director General of NAPTIP, who was represented by its spokesperson, Josiah Emerole, noted that though the conference is calling for the rights of women, some women have become perpetuators of violent crimes themselves.

His words, “Women who are supposed to be custodian of the home, have become agents of perpetuating violence, imagine if a house help is brought to your home you insist that the girl or boy will not eat, go to school until they have finished their chores.

“Some of you women bring an underage child to your home and prevent the child from developing,  just because the person has been tagged as a house help.”

Another speaker who spoke on ‘Nigeria’s Leadership and Underdevelopment Debacle: Can the Nigerian Women Save the Day,’ a presenter of Ray Power radio station, Mr Amaechi Anakwue, noted that it has been more of advocacy and moral persuasion on the men folk to concede more space for women.

He advised that the key towards economic empowerment lies in education which would enhance the women’s potentials to reach the climax of their dreams.

He said, “Women must also do away with obnoxious cultural practices that tend to subjugate them and tie them to the aprons of the menfolk.”

The conference noted the unprecedented increase in crimes, especially violent crimes against women in Nigeria in recent times. The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, who was represented by the first female Corps secretary, Susan Adam Ajenge, noted that in school girls and boys write the same examinations likewise at work places saying, “If no privileges are given during examinations why then do they remember the discriminations during promotions.”

In a communiqué at the end of the conference, the participants  concluded that the current population of Nigeria showed that women are in the majority, and so the country cannot afford to leave behind this group, adding that for it to truly progress and develop it must proactively educate, empower and support them to take their rightful place in leadership positions.

The communiqué  reads in part: “The conference notes that Nigeria does not currently have any policy or framework to address the issues of victims of crime especially the female gender and that extant laws, policies and regulations in the country are stacked against women.” 

Some of its recommendations in the resolution include that women must take advantage of available opportunities to organise instead of agonise or wait for others: that in this regards the social media and various government programmes provide unlimited opportunities.

It called for deliberate effort to educate, empower and integrate women into leadership positions at all levels of the nation’s polity. 

The participants also advocated for proactive steps to protect the women and to address the nagging issues of rape, domestic violence, kidnapping and sexual harassment of female students and women in their work places. 

Dr Eugene Akpa, of the Department of Sociology, ABU Zaria in her paper, which discussed sexual harassment of female students and women in work place, noted that the effects of sexual harassment are numerous and could have the same psychological effect as rape or sexual assault.

These, she said, may include, “decrease in work or school performance, absenteeism, loss of job or career, loss of income, leaving school, being put forward for public scrutiny and being objectified and humiliated.”

Others are, “defamation of character and reputation, loss of trust in environment similar to where the harassment occurred and being ostracized from professional or academic circles.”   

Dr Akpa lamented that the general public was indifferent because it did not see sexual harassment as a violation of an individual’s right and so ignored it, especially when it was quite subtle.

Other recommendations at the conference include, “that government as a matter of urgency  steps to deal with the increasing scourge of internal trafficking of women and the girl- child which is now a bigger problem than external trafficking and that parents must take more interest in the development of the character of their children to prevent them from becoming a problem to the society.