Transcript WOMEN AND GIRLS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: …

REVIEWING GENDER EQUALITY AND VIOLENCE
AGAINST GIRLS AND WOMEN IN THE AFRICAN
REGIONAL ARENA
BY PROFESSOR BENE EDWIN
MADUNAGU,CHAIRPERSON OF THE EXECUTIVE
BOARD OF GIRLS’ POWER INITIATIVE (GPI),
NIGERIA
INTRODUCTION/ BACKGROUND
GENDER EQUALITY IS NOT BIOLOGICAL BUT SOCIOLOGICAL.
 IT IS EMBEDDED IN THE SOCIALIZATION PROCESSOF GROWTH
AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHILD FROM BIRTH
 VAGW ARISE FROM THE PEPERTRATION OF GENDER
INEQUALITY
 EVERY GROWING CHILD IMBIBES THE PHENOMENON AS A
NATURAL OCCURRENCE .
 THE CHAIN CAN ONLY AND MUST BE BROKEN BY THE VICTIMS
OF BOTH GENDER INEQUALITY AND VAGW .
FROM WHAT AGE DO FEMALES EXPERIENCE VIOLENCE ?
 VAGW IS EXPERIENCED THROUGHOUT THE LIFE-CYCLE OF FEMALES.
 PRE-BIRTH: PRE-NATAL-SEX SELECTION/FORCED ABORTION, BATTERING
DURING PREGNANCY AND THE ATENDANT EMOTIONAL / PHYSICAL EFFECTS ON
THE WOMAN AND THE FOETUS.
 INFANCY: DIFFERENT TREATMENT FROM THE MALE WITH RESPECT TO ACCESS
TO FOOD AND MEDICAL CARE AS WELL EXPERIENCE OF FGM.
 GIRLHOOD: CHILD MARRIAGE, FGM, INCEST,CHILD ABUSE, HAWKING,
TRAFFICKING, RAPE, DOMESTIC LABOUR
 ADOLESCENCE: FGM, DATE VIOLENCE, GANG-RAPE, COURSHIP VIOLENCE,
COECED SEXUAL ACTIVITY, SEXUAL HARASSMENT, RAPE, TRAFFICKING
 REPRODUCTIVE AGE: BATTERY, SEXUAL HARASSMENT, MARITAL RAPE,
ABANDONMENT, WIDOWHOOD RITES, RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE.
 ELDERLY/POST MENOPAUSAL: ISOLATION, ABUSE OF WIDOWS, “WITCHCRAFT
SYNDROME” WHERE SUCH ACCUSED WOMEN GET STONED OR SENT INTO
EXILE.
WHY ARE FEMALES MORE VULNERABLE TO VIOLENCE?
 VAGW IS ROOTED IN THE UNEQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF POWER AND
RESOURCES BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN IN AFRICAN CONTEXT.
 IT IS ALSO ROOTED IN THE UNEQUAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MEN
AND WOMEN WHICH PERPETUATE THE DEVALUATION OF FEMALES
PLACING THEM FROM BIRTH IN SUBORDINATION TO MEN
 MALE-CHILD PREFERENCE IN MANY AFRICAN CULTURES INTENSIFIES
DISCRIMINATION AGAINST GIRLS AND WOMEN, MAKING FEMALES
MORE VULNERABLE TO VIOLENCE.
SOME CAUSES OF VAW
 CAUSES OF GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
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Although VAW is almost universal, the causes and
patterns vary from one socio-cultural context to
another. In each society there are mechanisms that
legitimize, obscure, deny and thereby perpetuate
violence.
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Below are some causes of VAW namely;
 THESE SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED PATRIARCHAL VALUES, STANDARDS
AND PRACTICES ARE THEN MADE TO APPEAR NATURAL AND SACRED
 SO THAT EVERY CHILD BORN INTO THE CULTURE LEARNS SUCH
STANDARDS FROM AN EARLY AGE THROUGH SOCIALIZATIONIN THE
FAMILY, IN SCHOOLS, FROM ADULTS IN SOCIETY, FROM PEERS, FROM
RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS,
 MEDIA MESSAGES DERIVED FROM THIS SYSTEM THEN RE-ENFORCE
THESE PREJUDICES.
 GIRLS GROW UP INTO WOMEN ACCEPTING AND INTERNALIZING THESE
MALE DOMINANT CULTURE AND ACCOMMODATING VAGW AS AN
ACCEPTABLE “NATURAL” PROCESS.
 WOMEN, IN TURN UNWITTINGLY AND IGNORANTLY PERPETUATE
THESE MALE DOMINANT SOCIAL STANDARDS BY SOCIALIZING THEIR
DAUGHTERS AND SONS TO ACCEPT MALE PERCEPTIONS OF MASCULITY
AND FEMINITY AND THE GIRLS TO ACQUIESCE TO MALE STANDARDS
AND DEMANDS THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES.
SOME ACHIEVEMENTS:INTERNATIONAL, REGIONAL AND
NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS AGAINST VAW
 The United Nations in the Beijing Declaration and the
Platform For Action, BFA, 1995 defines violence
against women as “an act of gender based violence
that results in or its likely to result in physical,
sexual and psychological harm or suffering to
women, including threats of such acts, coercion
or arbitrary deprivations of liberty, whether
occurring in public or private life”.
 Both males and females experience violence. Those
forms that occur only to females because they are
females are referred to as gender-based violence or
simply violence against women.Whether it is physical,
domestic, sexual, psychological or emotional violence,
researches have confirmed that the magnitude is
greater for girls and women as compared to boys and
men.
PROHIBITION OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE
• The prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sex is
enshrined in the core International Human Rights
Instruments.
• The World Conference on Human Rights (1993), which
resulted in the Adoption of Vienna Declaration and
Action Programme of marks the recognition of the
Rights of Girls and Women, as Human Rights by
stressing that:
• “The Human Rights Women and the Girl-Child are
INALIENABLE, INTEGRAL, and UNIVERSAL
HUMAN RIGHTS”
• It further stated that: “GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
AND ALL FORMS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT, and
EXPLOITATION, including those resulting from
Cultural Prejudice and international trafficking, are
incompatible with the Dignity and Worth of the
Human Person and must be eliminated”.
• The Rights and Protections contained in the Human
Rights, Treaties, Conventions, etc, legally binding on States
which have accepted them, include provisions which are
relevant to the eliminating Violence Against Children,
including Sexual Violence.
• The two international Covenants namely:
• a) International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights (Article 2.(2) and
• B)International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights(Article 26 (c) contain provisions that extend specific
Protection to children, and are punishable by law.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
(VAW)
 Sexual Violence Against Women and the Girl-children,
whether occurring in the Family, in the general
community or perpetrated and condoned by the state,
is encompassed in the definition of Violence Against
Women (VAW), provided for in Article 2 of the 1994
United Nations(UN) Declaration on the Elimination of
All Forms of Violence Against Women (DEVAW).
DEFINITION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST
WOMEN
• The UN Declaration defines VAW as “ any act of
Gender –Based Violence that results in, or is likely to
result in physical, Sexual, or psychological harm or
suffering to women, including threats of such acts,
coercion, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether
occurring in public or private life”
• Article 2 states that “VAW shall be understood to
encompass, but not limited to, the foll:
Physical, Sexual and Psychological Violence occurring
in the family. These include: Battering, Sexual abuse of
the female children in the household, marital rape,
bride-price related violence, female genital mutilation,
and other traditional practices harmful to women,
non-spousal and violence related to exploitation.
Physical, Sexual and Psychological violence occurring
within the general community, including Rape, Sexual
Harassment and intimidation at work, in educational
institutions, at Police stations, etc, trafficking, in girls
and women and forced prostitution.
Physical, Sexual and Psychological violence
perpetrated or condoned by the state, wherever it
occurs.
• The review of the implementation of the Platform for
Action (PFA) of the FWCW took place in 2000 and the
23rd special session of the General Assembly at Beijing
+5 called for the CRIMINALIZATION of Violence
Against Women. It noted that all governments shall
treat all forms of Violence against women and girls of
all ages as a criminal offence punishable by law,
including violence based on all forms of
discrimination.
• Other relevant international instruments on violence
against women and girls include 3 treaties namely: The
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); 1981
• The Convention Against Torture and other Cruel,
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
(CAT) and
• The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
• CEDAW – Protection from Sexual Violence as a
Result of Gender-Based Discrimination
• The Convention on the Elimination of All forms of
Discrimination against Women (1979) is the most
extensive international instrument that deals with the
Rights of Women and Girls. It addresses violence
against women in relation to trafficking and
prostitution in Article 6. In addition, there are many
anti – discrimination clauses for the protection of
women from violence.
•
 Article 2 of the Convention addresses Sexual Violence
and notes the commitment of states parties to pursue a
policy of eliminating discrimination against women,
and to adopt legislative and other measures
prohibiting all discrimination against women.
Article 5 (a) calls on state parties to take all appropriate
measures to modify the social and cultural patterns of
conduct of men and women, with a view of achieving
the elimination of prejudices, customary and all other
practices that are based on the idea of the inferiority or
the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped
roles of men and women.
• The General Recommendation 19 to include Gender-
Based violence by the CEDAW Committee in 1992 was
adopted. Thus Article 1 of the Convention now
includes “Gender-based violence – that is violence that
is directed against a woman because she is a woman or
that affects women disproportionately. This was stated
to include Acts that inflict physical, mental or sexual
harm or suffering; threats of such acts; coercion and
other deprivations of liberty”.
 General Recommendation 19 also refers to the
prevalence of family violence in all society, including
battering, rape, other forms of sexual assault, mental
and other forms of violence, which are perpetuated by
traditional attitudes.
CAT – Protection from Sexual
Violence as Torture
Torture is prohibited under a wide range of international
instruments e.g.
• Article 7 of the international Convention on Civil and
Political Rights (ICCPR).The Convention against
Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment (CAT).The Convention on
the Rights of the Child (CRC) also provides for the
right to freedom from torture, sexual exploitation and
abuse in Article 37.
CRC – The prohibition of Sexual
Violence Against Children
• Various articles of the CRC assert the rights of
children to physical and personal integrity, and
establish high standards for protection.Article 19 of
CRC “All appropriate legislative administrative, social
and educational measures to protect the child from all
forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse,
neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or
exploitation, sexual abuse, while in the care of
parent(s), legal guardian(s), or any other person who
has the care of the child”.
•
REGIONAL INSTRUMENTS: THE
AFRICAN CONTINENT
• In the 1990s, the African continent witnessed
important changes regarding the situation of women
and the issues of VAW. In 1998 the Special Rapporteur
on the Rights of women in Africa was created for the
protection and promotion of Women’s Human Rights
including the right to be free from violence.The role of
the SR consist Researching, Gathering and
Documenting Information on Women’s Human Rights
in the region
The African Charter on Human
Rights and People’s Rights,1998
 includes provisions for the promotion and protection
of Women’s Human Rights e.g.:
 Article 2 – Principle of non-discrimination “on the
grounds of race, ethnic group, colour, sex, language,
religions, political or other opinion, national and
social origin, fortune, birth or status”.
• The African Charter on Human Rights and People’s
Rights of 1981 includes a number of important
provisions for the promotion and protection of
Women’s Human Rights e.g.:
• Article 2 – Principle of non-discrimination “on the
grounds of race, ethnic group, colour, sex, language,
religions, political or other opinion, national and
social origin, fortune, birth or status”.
THE MAPUTO PROTOCOL, 2003
• The protocol defines Gender Violence which enshrines
protection against all acts of VAW and girls. It states,
VAW means all acts perpetrated against women which
causes or could cause them physical, sexual,
psychological and economic harm, including the
threat to take such acts; or to undertake the imposition
of arbitrary restrictions on or deprivation of
fundamental freedoms in private or public life in peace
time and during situations of armed conflicts or war”.
•
The African Charter on the rights
and the welfare of the child
• is particularly relevant in the protection and
promotion of children’s Rights in the region.
• Article 16 sets obligations and Rights relevant in the
prohibition of and protection from sexual violence
such as the protection against child abuse and torture.
Article 17 provides for the protection against harmful
social and cultural practices. Article 27 provides for the
protection of all forms of sexual exploitation and
sexual abuse.
NIGERIAN NATIONAL
INSTRUMENTS
• Nigeria has ratified the foll: International Charters
that reinforce the rights of women and girls: UDHR,
1948, ICCPR- intl cov on civil &pol rts, 1981; ICESCRIntl Cov on econ soc and cultural rts, ACHPR- Afric
Charter on Human and Ppls rts, 2005;
• CRWC- AU’s Chart on the Rts and welfare of chld,
• CEDAW,
NIGERIAN NATIONAL
INSTRUMENTS
• Nigeria has domesticated the ECOWAS gender policy,
African Union Solemn declaration on Gender Equality,
CEDAW, BEIJING PFA and the +5 and +10 consensus
documents; the UN general assembly declaration 1325
addressing protection of women and girls from VAW
(gender based Violence) and the MDG goals. Indeed
Nigeria has signed without reservation, almost all the
international treaties and consensus documents that
exist
 Nigeria operates 3 legal systems namely penal code in
the Northern States, Criminal Code in the Southern
States and English Law at the National level. The Penal
and Criminal codes have provisions that punish rape
with up to life imprisonment. Nigeria also passed a law
against trafficking in Persons. These are the only legal
provisions that deal with some aspects of VAW.
• VAW is often understood as a physical abuse which
can be tolerated from a male to a female – daughter or
wife. It is not often understood or perceived that
psychological and mental violence or violence that
occurs as a result of lack of infrastructure, lack of
facilities to address specific discriminatory practices
against women as equal human beings as guaranteed
by our constitution, etc. are acts of violations of the
rights of women.
SOME PROGRESS ! ! !
 THE ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA (ECA), AFRICAN CENTRE
FOR DEVELOPMENT HAS DEVELOPED, FROM 2002TO 2004, THE
AFRICAN GENDER DEVELOPMENT INDEX (AGDI) WHICH PROVIDES A
FRAMEWORK FOR QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DATA ON
GENDER EQUALITY AND WOMENS’S EMPOWERMENT.
 THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PROGRESS IN THE SENSE THAT IT WILL
PROVIDE THE MUCH NEEDED SEX DISAGREGATED DATA TO AS
EVIDENCE FOR UNBIASED POLICIES TOWARDS GENDER EQUALITY IN
ALL ARENA.
 IT WILL ALSO HELP TP RAISE GENDER SENSITIVITY AND
CONSCIOUSNESS AMONG POLICY MAKERS TO PROMOTE THE
NECESSARY IMPLEMENTATION OF AGREED PROVITIONS TO ENSURE
GENDER EQUALITY ETC.
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2006, FIRST AFRICAN FEMALE PRESIDENT , HER EXCELLENCY ELLEN JOHNSON
SIRLEAF WAS INAUGURATED AS THE PRESIDENT OF LIBERIA ( 1 OUT OF 53)
IN SOME AFRICAN COUNTRIES, WOMEN MAKE UP A SIGNIFICANT PART OF OF THEIR
GOVERNMENT:
RWANDA WITH 48.8% OF WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT LEADS ALL NATIONS IN THIS REGARD.
MOZAMBIQUE 34.4%; SOUTH AFRICA, 32.8%; AND TANZANIA, 17% OF SEATS.
NATIONAL MECHANISMS HAVE BEEN SET UP TO MAINSTREAM WOMEN’S ISSUES INTO
POLICIES, PLANS, AND PROGRAMS OF GOVERNMENT.
HOWEVER THESE GAINS ARE RATHER LIMITED. IN ADDITION, IN SOME COUNTRIES IN
AFRICA, IT IS HAPPENING AS MARY WANDIA OBSERVED, THAT “WHILE STATES HAVE FAILED
TO FULFILL THEIR COMMITMENTS, THEY ARE UNDERMINING REGIONAL AND
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS BY INTRODUCING ANTI-HUMAN RIGHTS BILLS. SEVERAL
GOVERNMENTS HAVE ADOPTED OR ARE IN THE PROCESS OF ADOPTING DISCRIMINATORY
LEGISLATION REVERSING FUNDAMENTAL WOMEN’S RIGHTS INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED
TO BILLS ON CRIMINALIZATION OF HIV, INDECENT DRESSING LAWS, AND ANTIHOMOSEXUALITY BILLS. THESE BILLS VIOLATE VARIOUS RIGHTS------” (PAMBAZUKA NEWS,
NOV. 19, 2009)
SOME CHALLENGES
 SOME CONTRIBUTORS ON THIS SUBJECT GIVE EXCUSES, SELF-DEFEATING
REASONS AND DANGEROUS EXPLANATIONS THAT RATHER JUSTIFIES GENDER
EQUALITY WITHOUT MEANING TO DO SO. E.G
 LAYING EMPHASIS ON WOMEN’S ROLE IN THE FAMILY BEING CENTRAL TO
FAMILY UNIT AS IF THIS IS A NATURAL BIOLOGICAL ROLE;
 EMPHASIS ON WOMEN’S CONTRIBUTION IN THE FAMILY AS A GIVEN;
 WOMEN AS FAMILY CARE-GIVERS
 WOMEN GIVING ECONOMIC SUPPORT EVEN WHEN WE ARE AWARE THAT IN
MANY FAMILIES WOMEN DO NOT JUST GIVE SUPPORT BUT ARE THE MAIN
ECONOMIC PILLAR;
 WOMEN KEEP THEIR FAMILIES TOGETHER;
 WOMEN CREATE THE FAMILY;
 WOMEN PLAY A KEY ROLE IN SECURING FOOD; ETC
 THESE EMPHASES IN ADVOCACY FOR GENDER EQUALITY FURTHER
STRENGHTEN CULTURE OF WOMEN SUBBORDINATION AND EMPOWERING
POLICY MAKERS TO ACT IN PROTECTION OF THE STATUS-QUO.
SOME CHALLENGES (CONTD)
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THE USE OF THE TERM “GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE HAS LONG BEEN APPROPRIATED AND
MISUSED TO DIVERT RESOURSES TOWARDS MALE ISSUES.
MOST POLICY MAKERS ARE MEN AND THEY INTERPRETE GENDER TO MEAN MEN AND
WOMEN.
HENCE, WE SHOULD BE TALKING ABOUT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN INSTEAD OF
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE.
HAVE WE ASKED OURSELVES WHY WE NEED A MINISTRY FOR WOMEN OR WHATEVER
NOMENCLATURE IS GIVEN TO SUCH IN DIFFERENT AFRICAN COUNTRIES? THIS IS FURTHER
MARGINALIZATION OF WOMEN AND DEPRIVATION OF “WOMEN’S RIGHTS AS HUMAN
RIGHTS” ( VIENNA 1993)?
SHOULD WE NOT BE LAYING EMPHASIS ON LEGAL PROVISION THAT EMPHASISES THE
RIGHTS OF EVERY HUMAN BEING RATHER THAN NEGATE THE CONCEPT OF GENDER
EQUALITY?
WHY EMHASIS ON SEPARATE PROVISIONS SPECIFIC TO WOMEN IN LESGISLATION MATTERS
RATHER THAN A SIMPLE UNAMBIGUOUS LANGUAGE DETAILING THE RIGHTS OF EVERY
HUMAN BEING WITH A PROVISO FOR SPECIFIC NEEDS FOR SPECIFIC GROUPS?
ADVOCACY SHOULD SEEK FOR ABOLITION THOSE CUSTOMARY FEUDALISTIC LAWS THAT
ARE CLEARLY SEXIST AND DISCRIMINATRY AGAINST WOMEN IN THESE DAYS OF
“DEMOCRATIC DISPENSATIONS ON THE CONTINENT.
SOME REMINDERS
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WE ARE LESS THAN 5 YEARS FROM THE MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS TARGET OF 2015;
17 YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE ICPDDESCRIBED AS WATERSHED ACHIEVEMENT ON SRHR. WHAT IS THE
REALITY ON GROUND?
16 YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE THE ADOPTION OF THE BEIJING PLATFORM FOR ACTION IN 1995. HOW MUCH
HAS CHANGED ON THE STATE OF GENDER EQUALITY AND VAGW?
11 YEARS AFTER THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 1325 WAS AGREED UPON.
AT THE AFRICAN REGIONAL LEVEL,THIS YEAR IS THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE AU SOLEMN DECLARATION ON
GENDER EQUALITY IN AFRICA ADOPTED IN 2004.
5 YEARS SINCE THE PROTOCOL TO THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN AFRICA WAS
ADOPTED.
IN 2010, THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY THEME, WAS ‘EQUAL RIGHTS, EQUAL OPPRTUNITIES,
PROGRESS FOR ALL. WHAT DO THE STATISTICS SAY?
THE AFRICAN WOMEN’S DECADE OF STRUGGLE, 2010 to 2020, WAS INITIATED BY THE WOMEN AND GENDER
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTORATE OF THE AUAND ADOTED UNANIMOUSLY BY THE AFRICAN UNION, THE 53MEMBER STATES OF THE CONTINENTAL ORGANIZATION
AS PART OF THE LAUNCHING OF THE ABOVE, ON OCTOBER 15, 2010, THE WOMEN , GENDER AND
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTORATE OFFERED TRAINING TO 25 DELEGATESFROM MINISTRIES OF GENDER,
FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF VARIOUS MEMBER STATES FOR TWO WEEKS IN FEB.2010 AS A
MEANS OF FULL INTEGRATION OF GENDER ISSUES INTO THE OVERALL ECONOMIC POLICIES ON THE
AFRICAN CONTINENT.
SOME THOUGHTS ON /SUGGESTIONS
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NEED FOR COMPREHENSIVE SEXUALITY EDUCATION. THE NEW PUBLICATION BY
POPULATION COUNCIL, NEW YORK TITLED “ ITS ALL ONE CURRICULUM (IAOC)”, A GLOBAL
GUIDE ON CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT, PROVIDES SUCH CONTENTS ON VALUES, HUMAN
SEXUALITY, RIGHTS, GENDER, RELATIONSHIPS ETC THAT WOULD FOSTER CRITICAL
THINKING ABOUT GENDER ROLES AND HUMAN RIGHTS TO ENABLE YOUNG PEOPLE GROW
UP TO ENJOY HEALTHY, RESPONSIBLE AND SATISFYING LIVES.
NEED FOR PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS IN COMMUNITIES TO CREATE ATTITUDINAL
CHANGE AND A NEW CULTURE THAT ABHORS ALL FORMS OF VIOLENCEAND GENDER
DISCRIMINATION. THIS WOULD CREATE A CULTURE THAT VALUES BOTH THE GIRL AND
THE BOY CHILD, PROMOTE RESPECT FOR GIRLS AND WOMEN, PROMOTE AND ENSURE
EQUALITY THAT EMPHASISES MALE RESPONSIBILITY AT HOME AND IN SOCIETY AT LARGE
AND PREVENTION OF VAGW.
COMMUNITY AND RELIGIOUS LEADERS SHOULD BE TARGETED AS LEADERS IN THIS NEW
CULTURE TO EDUCATE THEIR ALL THEIR CONGREGATION AND MEMBERS OF THEIR
DOMAIN. TO VALUE THE RIGHTS OF EVERYONE IRRESPECTIVE OF THEIR SPECIAL
CATEGORIES.
MORE COUNSELLING AND REHABILITATION CENTRES WOULD BE NEEDED IN THE INTERIM
FOR VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE INCLUDING ACCESS TO COUNSELING, LEGAL AID AND
PSYCHOSOCIAL AID.
SPECIAL ATTENTION SHOULD BE PAID TO PERSONS IN MARGINALIZED GROUPS.
SOME THOGHTS/SUGGESTIONS (CONTD)
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PUBLIC INFORMATION/EDUCATION ON LEGAL PROVISIONS AND INSTRUMENTS TO
PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF GIRLS AND WOMEN AGAINST VAGW
PROMOTION OF REPORTAGE OF CRIMES OF VAGW AND CALL FOR JUSTICE IN THE MEDIA
PUBLICIZING AND SHAMING MEN WHO BATTER AND RAPE
INFORMATION THAT VAW IS MEN’S ISSUE THAT THE GIRLS AND WOMEN THEY CARE
ABOUT ARE AT RISK
CONFRONT ANY ABUSIVE SITUATION.
ACCEPT THAT YOUR INACTION, ATTITUDE MAY ENCOURAGE VAGW, HENCE DO SOMETHING
PERSONAL OR TELL SOMEONE OT GROUP THAT WOULD TAKE ACTION.
RESPECT AND TREAT WOMEN AND GIRLS AS EQUAL HUMAN BEINGS.TEACH YOUR SONS
HOW TO BE MALE IN WAYS THAT DO NOT INVOLVE THE DEGRADING OF GIRLS AND
WOMEN.
 THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENCE, CARING AND
ATTENTION.
BENE EDWIN MADUNAGU