United Nations and the Challenges of Promoting Gender Equality in Nigeria
Chapter One
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The specific objectives of the study are to:
- Establish the various advocacies of promoting gender equality by the Nigerian government.
- Identify and examine the activities of the UN in promoting gender equality in Nigeria
- Discuss the challenges of the UN in promoting gender equality in Nigeria.
CHAPTER TWO
LEGAL, POLICY AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK
INSTITUTIONAL/ LAWS AND TREATIES
The ย United ย Nations ย has ย the ย responsibility ย to ย ensure ย that ย all ย its ย actions ย promote ย and protect gender equality and womenโs empowerment. UN efforts to help establish the rule of law for all on the basis of equality are essential ย to this end. Advancing gender equality and empowering women are widely recognized as ends in themselves as well as means to achieve the ย UN ย goals ย of ย sustainable ย peace ย and ย security, ย human ย rights ย protection, ย and ย sustainable economic and social development (Marcellac Gemelli,UN decade for Women, pg.1) Gender- based discrimination permeates all cultures, and is often manifested in the laws, policies, and practices ย of ย institutions. ย For ย example, ย in ย many ย countries ย women ย are ย not ย afforded ย the ย same inheritance rights ย and property rights as men, nor are they allowed to testify in court. Even where ย constitutional ย guarantees ย provide ย for ย equality ย and ย laws ย protect ย womenโs rights, discriminatory practices by law enforcement and security services, courts, lawyers and social services can serve as major obstacles to ย womenโs security ย and access ย to ย justice. Customary and traditional norms and practices, including informal justice mechanisms, may perpetuate gross violations of the rights of women and girls. As such de facto and de jure inequality is exacerbated by conflict ย and crisis. Women and girls constitute the majority of refugees and displaced ย persons, ย and ย are ย increasingly ย targeted ย by ย combatants. ย Sexual ย violence ย and ย other grave ย violations ย of ย womenโs ย dignity ย inflict ย severe ย suffering ย on ย victims. ย Discrimination ย in laws ย and ย institutions ย with ย respect ย to ย employment, ย property ย and ย inheritance ย rights, reproductive health, and marriage and family matters heighten womenโs vulnerability both in conflict and post conflict. Yet, conflict and crisis involve transformations in gender relations.
CHAPTER THREEย
ย NIGERIA AND GENDER ISSUES
INTRODUCTION ย
Gender issues in ย Nigeria are ย a significant ย contribution to ย the gender debate. Gender issues in Nigeria can be said to include all forms of issues that tends to bring about disparity between the two sexes in terms of job employment, political participation, decision making, education, as well as right to oneโs personal life. From this, the gender report in Nigeria as various cases of tolerance of physical violence against women in Nigeria which is thus at an higher ย rate ย in ย regions ย where ย the ย highest ย number ย experience ย the ย violence. ย Nigeria ย has ย been subjected ย to ย have ย two-third ย of ย Nigerian ย women ย still ย experiencing ย and ย at ย the ย same ย time experiencing ย various ย forms ย of ย violence ย such ย as ย psychological ย abuse, ย marital ย rape, ย sexual exploitation, battering and verbal abuse or harassment within the home.
National ย Demographic ย Health ย Survey ย (NDHS) ย observed ย that ย much ย of ย the ย violence experienced by women range from physical, sexual, and psychological violence that occurs in the ย hands ย of ย family ย members, ย particularly ย husband, ย father ย or ย partners. ย The ย NDHS ย report recognizes ย that ย although, ย certain ย forms ย of ย violence ย are ย institutionalized ย due ย to ย the ย fact ย that organizations such as the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women as ย well ย Non-Governmental ย Organization ย coalition, ย laments ย that ย the ย law ย as ย currently constituted, does not offer women and girls adequate protection from violence; thus creating a progressive way for state to ย create. ย For instance, the violence ย against ย women Prevention, Protection ย and ย Prohibition ย Act ย (2002) ย in ย Ebonyi, ย Lagos, ย and ย Cross-river ย have ย made ย use ย of these domestic laws against Female Genital Mutilation.(FGM).
CHAPTER FOUR
GENDER EQUALITY IN NIGERIA
ISSUES OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN IN NIGERIA ย
Gender ย discrimination ย and ย violence ย against ย women ย are ย global ย phenomena ย and womenโs rights are the freedom and entitlement of women of human rights without any form of ย discrimination ย or ย violation. ย Gender ย discrimination ย and ย violence ย against ย women ย are contrary to ย the ย fundamental ย human ย rights, ย equity, ย natural ย justice ย coupled ย with ย good governance. Nigeria women are faced with various challenges and difficulties in all sectors of the country. It is fair practice of treating women in the society. Women are faced with various challenging situations including the married and the unmarried in both the private and public sector. ย For ย instance, ย the ย issue ย of ย the ย militant ย sect ย in ย the ย northern ย part ย of ย Nigeria ย abducting about 250 girls in a school in April.
ย CHAPTER FIVE
UNITED NATIONSโ CHALLENGES IN PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY IN NIGERIA
UN AND WOMEN ISSUES IN NIGERIA ย
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The ย UN ย established ย the ย United ย Nations ย Development ย Fund ย for ย Women ย (UNIFEM) which ย was ย founded ย in ย 1976 ย with ย the ย aim ย of ย improving ย the ย living ย standard ย of ย women ย in developing ย countries. ย It ย focused ย on ย strategic ย issues ย affecting ย women; ย feminized ย poverty, ending violence against women, achieving gender equality in democratic governance in terms of peace as well as war and to avert spread of HIVAIDS among women and girls as well as educational inequalities. With the aim to end violence against women (VAW), UN women in Nigeria ย supports ย the ย revision ย of ย discriminatory ย laws, ย regulation, ย policies, ย systems ย and practices ย both ย at ย the ย local ย and ย national ย level ย coupled ย with ย the ย development ย and implementation ย of ย gender ย policy ย within ย the ย police ย forces ย of ย Nigeria ย and ย assist ย in ย the protection of women and girls against sexual and gender based violence.ย ย Disarmament is another issue facing women as well as access to formal education is still ย been ย constrained ย due ย to ย their ย unfair ย worked ย within ย the ย household ย division ย of labour. Violence against women is widespread in the world. This is a burning issue of human rights ย often ย swept ย under ย the ย carpet ย as ย if ย it ย does ย not ย matter, ย especially ย in ย Africa ย and particularly in Nigeria. This is not limited to physical violence. It is clearly known in Nigeria that women and girls are deprived certain rights.
ย CHAPTER SIX
CONCLUSION
SUMMARY
The issue of gender equality is paramount to Nigeria as a third world country due to the ย fact ย that ย women ย are ย seen ย as ย a ย weaker ย vessel ย and ย being deprived ย of ย certain ย rights. ย This called for the attention of the United Nations and its efforts in curbing the menace of gender equality. ย The ย work ย went ย on ย to ย discuss ย on ย the ย various ย violence ย and ย abuses ย that ย are ย faced which includes domestic violence; this is violence within the home. It is carried out mostly by male members of the family i.e. the husband and his relatives, against women and children.
These ย acts ย include ย marital ย rape, ย beating, ย verbal ย abuse; ย incest; ย FGM ย (female ย genital mutilation); ย forced ย marriage ย and ย child ย marriage; ย femicide; ย not ย being ย allowed ย their ย ย ย rights (women) (e.g. to choose a husband, or to choose the number of children they wish to have); denial ย of ย food ย even ย during ย pregnancy ย as ย culture ย forbids ย it. ย Emotional ย and ย Psychological Abuse are acts of violence that is not necessarily physical. They are acts that cannot normally be seen. These include all forms of cruelty, e.g. denigrating a woman by treating her as if she were ย a ย child, ย by ย ignoring ย her, ย by ย refusing ย to ย give ย her ย any ย affection ย or ย sexual ย satisfaction.
Sexual Harassment is an act of violence that usually takes place in the workplace. It may also be ย in ย a ย public ย or ย private ย place โ the ย streets, ย at ย parties, ย in ย schools. ย It ย happens ย to ย domestic workers, office workers etc. Rape is defined as any form of sexual intercourse without free mutual ย consent ย between ย those ย involved. ย Sexual ย intercourse ย that ย involves ย force, ย threat, blackmail, deceit or coercion in which women are always at the receiving end.
RECOMMENDATIONSย
There ย should ย be ย proper ย increment ย in ย womenโs ย leadership ย and ย participation ย in ย every sector both at the public and private sectors in terms of political roles and so on.
All ย efforts ย should ย be ย made ย in ย a ย bid ย to ย put ย a ย stop ย to ย all ย forms ย of ย violence ย against women such ย as ย placing ย watchdogs ย in ย officers ย ,as ย well ย as ย in ย the ย environment ย and ย people involved should be ready to speak out.
The introduction of peace by the ย UN Secretary-General ย Boutros ย BoutrosGhali in ย an agenda for peace, engaging women in all aspects of peace and security processes helps in the promotion ย of positive peace due to ย the fact ย that there is ย no single country that is ย free ย from violence against women which affects women globally.
There should be appropriate implementation of programmes that target the eradication of violence against women and girls including effective recourse to gender justice as a matter of urgency.
To ย a ย good ย degree, ย there ย should ย be ย increase ย in ย the ย budget ย allocation ย of ย the ย Federal Ministry of Women Affairs to effectively finance its gender equality programme.
There should also be an institutionalization of gender through gender mainstreaming strategies in all the federal ministries and at all levels of governance.
The ย employment ย of ย more ย medical ย personnel ย to ย both ย the ย urban ย and ย rural areas ย to encourage ย and ย sensitize ย women ย on ย measures ย ย ย to ย ย ย be ย taken ย to ย reduce ย maternal ย and ย child mortality in Nigeria.
Finally, there should be immediate moves towards ย the domestication of CEDAW.
ย BIBLIOGRAPHYย
BOOKSย ย
- Amelia ย R ย (2012): Women, ย Development ย and Feminism: ย some ย criteria (Oxford: ย Oxford University Press).
- Anifowose R: Women Political Participation in Nigeria: Problems and Prospects in Paradox of Gender Equality in Nigerian Politicsย Concept Publication Limited Lagos (2004).
- Cambridge (2009): Longman dictionary of contemporary English: Fourth edition Centre ย for ย Gender ย and Social ย Policy ย Studies, ย (1996): Gender ย and ย Development ย in ย Africa ย (ObafemiAwolowo University Press pg. 90).
- Chan ย M ย (2010): ย D-General: ย WHO: ย equal ย rights ย for ย women ย and ย girls: ย essential ย for ย betterย health: ย International ย Womenโs ย Day. ย (New York, African ย Publishing ย Corporation ย pg. 50).
- Dahlenrupe ย D: ย (2006) Women, ย Quotas ย and ย Politics (New ย York: ย Routledge, ย Taylor ย and ย Francis Group, pg 4).
- Emmanuelle ย Wright ย (2012):ย Understanding ย the ย role ย of ย women in ย politics The ย Guardianย Newspaper Tuesday, April 19, pg. 12.
- Federal ย Ministry of Women Affairs and Social ย Development: (2012): The empowerment ย of ย rural ย women ย and ย their ย role ย in ย poverty ย and ย hunger ย eradication, ย development ย and ย current ย challenges: ย A ย selection ย of ย best ย practices ย in ย Nigeria (Federal Ministry ย of Womenโs Social Development pg. 67).ย
- Federal ย Ministry ย of Womenโs Affairs ย and ย Social ย Development: ย (2013): National ย Ministeria