PRIORITY ACTIONS TO ADDRESS GAPS IN THE REALISATION OF THE BPFA +25 REVIEW PROCESS OBJECTIVES IN IMO STATE

Gender equality has become a matter for international concern and an ongoing human rights violation which the world is committed to ending. Equality is the ideal situation where women and men have equal opportunities for the achievement of their full human rights and potential; are capable of contributing equally to and reap equally from, national political, economic, social and cultural growth. In addition, it includes systematically recognizing and removing the root causes of discrimination in order to provide equal opportunities to men and women. Equality is also considered to include formal and substantive equality not just simple equality between men and women.

Irrespective of the fact that Nigeria has ratified and signed several international conventions and instruments like CEDAW, the Maputo Protocol, SDG, it has not translated significantly to the desired gender equality and women’s rights.

The upsurge in both physical and structural violence against disadvantaged groups such as women and girls in Imo State has become a matter of great concern to CCIDESOR and other human rights groups, in the state. Factors associated with gender inequality, male dominance, religious beliefs and other cultural factors increase women’s risks of violence. Survivors of GBV often experience a wide range of problems, from psychological distress and depression to injury, school dropout, HIV/AIDS, unwanted pregnancy and so many more.

Sarah (not real names) was just a normal happy 9 years old girl child, who unfortunately fell into the hands of a 45 years old paedophile. Sarah was violently raped and in the process sustained life threatening injuries to the pelvic bones. After undergoing series of medical procedure lasting for months in hospital admission little Sarah was maimed for life, her medical report has it that she may be unable to carry a pregnancy to full term therefore may never have children. Sarah’s parents are illiterate and poor, living in one of the remote villages. Following the help of neighbours the case was reported.  Sarah’s family came under pressure from the relatives of the perpetrator to accept monetary compensation and withdraw the case from the security agencies. It took the intervention of the NGO support group to provide financial assistance required to offset the cost of medical examination, police documentations and other needed logistics.   The journey to justice for Sarah whose only request is for her assailant to pay for his crimes may be very rough and tortuous. Women and girls especially in rural communities are as vulnerable as Sarah. They are ignorant of their rights, and laws that should protect them. The period of lockdown pandemic exposed the dire situation of VAWG facing women and girls in Imo State. Between the months of April and October, the state committee on ending violence against women and girls recorded a whopping 148 cases. 70% of the cases involved defilement of children within the ages of 2months to 15 years. 30% of the recorded cases involved domestic violence (acid bath), incest, rape and negative widowhood practices.

Of a truth, most people and women in our rural communities have not even heard of the BPfA +25, the legal provisions of the VAPP act or Child Protection laws that seeks to protect women and girls like Sarah. Women have not fared better in financial mainstreaming or in the leadership spaces. Despite our numeric strength, in an age where in most nations women have advanced to the twinning principle, here in Imo State, women are still struggling to achieve 8% representation in both elective and appointive positions. Women are still subjected to harmful widowhood practices, and FGM/C. this situation indeed calls for urgent action.

The Beijing platform for action sets the blueprint to achieve gender equality within certain critical areas of concern and set pointers for defining landmarks for achievement. With Nigeria as signatory to this convention, all the federating units are committed to creating enabling laws and policies that support the achievement of gender equality. On her part, Imo State has the basic legislation, policies, strategies and plans to drive this, however majority of the people are unaware of this fine piece of instrument. This has been a major impediment which now calls for urgent and sustainable action to educate and create widespread awareness.

EXISTING LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR GENDER EQUALITY IN THE STATE

Adoption and domestication of international conventions – Gender equality laws – specific law/policy reforms, were passed into law and are being implemented.

1. Section 42 of the 1999 constitution. Elimination of Discrimination against women, Article 16 (1) (a) of CEDAW, domesticated. 
   1. Concerted efforts to domestication of the VAPP act – (presently before the house and at public hearing stage).
   1. The universal Declaration of human rights 1948 ratified by Nigeria 1960.
   1. The African charter on people’s rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act. – provides for elimination of harmful practices 
   1. Rights to equitable sharing of property in the event of separation or divorce, widowhood practices.
   1. Imo state baby protection law 19 of 2017
   1. Imo State Widows (Protection) Law 2003
   1. Child Rights Laws 2003
   1. Gender and Equal Opportunities Law (Imo State) 2007
   1. Rights to education

EXAMINING THE 12 CRITICAL AREAS OF CONCERN

S/NO	AREA OF CONCERN	FOCUS
1	Women and poverty	Gender responsive macro and micro economic policies. Gender equality in economic power sharing. Emergence of female headed households
2	Education and training of women	Female literacy, investment in formal and informal education for women and girls; gender disparities in science education.
3	Women and health	Primary health care, gender responsive health budgets and policies HIV/AIDS and other transferrable diseases, family planning and Sexual gender based violence.
4	Violence against women	Sexual, physical and psychological abuse at the following four levels: domestic violence; non – intimate partner violence; GBV caused by human trafficking; and violence by the state or its agents.
5	Women and armed conflict	Cooperative approach to peace and security as well as the need to address sexual slavery, rape and sexual abuse during conflict or periods of internal displacement.
6	Women and the economy	Participation in economic policy making, use of gender disaggregated data and gender analysis to set gender targets in macroeconomic policies; gender and taxation; women’s access to means of production such as land and credit support.
7	Women, Governance Power and Decision making.	Women in parliament and ministerial positions.
8	Industrial mechanism for advancement of women.	Establishment of central coordinating unit on gender within government to be led by a cabinet minister; institutionalizing gender analysis processes as part of government policy making.
9	Human rights of women	Ratification and domestication of international human rights convention with implication for women’s access and choices.
10	Women and media	Elimination of gender stereotyping in media reportage, women’s access to alternative sources of information through new technologies of communication
11	Women and environment	Sustainable and ecologically sound consumption of agricultural production patterns. Gender analysis and mainstreaming in environmental policy making ; women’s participation in environmental policy formulation
12	The girl child	The rights and responsibilities of the child, the responsibilities of parents and guardians, the provision of care to particularly vulnerable children and the steps for legal remediation where these rights have been violated.

PRIORITY AREAS OF THE BEIJING PLATFORM FOR ACTION

1. Equality and non-discrimination under the law and access to justice.
2. Quality Education training and lifelong learning for women and girls.
3. Poverty eradication, agricultural food production and food security.
4. Access to health care including sexual and reproductive rights.
5. Ending violence against women and girls through changing attitude towards negative social norms and gender stereotypes that encourage discrimination against women and girls.
6. Elimination of discrimination against women living with disabilities, HIV/AIDS, women living in rural communities, older and indigent women.

4. CHALLENGES, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND EMERGING PRIORITY AREAS. 

The growing instances of violence against women in Nigeria is horrific, ranging from rape to acid bath, domestic violence/wife battery to FGM which often times lead to death, denial of rights and lack of access to opportunities all because the person is a women/girl, whom the society has considered not equal to the man.

The staggering inequality statistics in Imo State raises a huge concern and threatens the realization of the SDG 2030 if drastic and immediate measures are not taken. To respond to the challenges of gender inequalities, there is a need to recognise the main issues leading to inequality between genders. These challenges are hereunder categorized under intervention locus.

Government.

1. Lack of political will to drive policies and programs that promote equality
2. Poor budgetary provisions for gender advocacy and activities aimed at narrowing the gender gap.
3. Discriminatory practices by government agencies (bail , immigration and taxes)
4. Absence of clearly defined macro-economic policy.
5. Paucity of disaggregated data for target specific intervention measures.
6. Corruption – Poor monitoring and evaluation. Implementation of policies.

Legislature  

1. Inadequate laws addressing VAWG e.g. The VAPP bill and 35% affirmative action.
2. Discriminatory practices by government agencies (bail , immigration and taxes)

Judiciary

1. Tripartite legal system and a lack of victim friendly judiciary.
2. Discriminatory constitutional provisions e.g. Section 42, (3) Section 26 and 29
3. Discriminatory existing laws and policies e.g. S 55 of the penal code which permits wife beating, land inheritance laws, provision for bail bond.

Society – Traditional and Religious Leadership

1. Harmful cultural and traditional practices and religious beliefs that encourage gender bias and GBV.
2. Attitude and the culture of silence, male conspiracy and stereotyping.
3. Male child preference.

Women/Girls

1. Poverty, Ignorance and illiteracy and a lack of awareness of gender equality and the rights of women.
2. Gender role ideology and social strictures.
3. Culture and traditions that demean and support harmful practices against women

NGO/CBO’s Development partners

1. Inadequate capacity building – training and development programs for key staff of the MWAVG on VAWG.
2. The need for synergy and collaboration among CBO’s and NGO’s working on gender equality in data/knowledge sharing and networking.
3. Funding.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. Increased engagement and advocacy for the passage of VAPP bill, lobbying for 35% affirmative action law/gender parity law.
2. Strategic advocacy visits with briefs for relevant stakeholders in government, judiciary, security agencies, traditional and religious institution on taking responsibility for ending VAWG.
3. Lobby for the review of existing laws, policies, process and abolition of all discriminatory laws. Implementation of the pro-poor and gender based FGN DFID access to justice, security, and growth.
4. Sensitization outreach to educate women on BPfA +25, gender rights and equality.
5. Continuous community outreaches for enlightenment, sensitization and reorientation of women and girls against all forms of discrimination, bias and stereotyping.
6. Establishment and training of community based gatekeepers and influencers. 
7. Engagement with the girl child on sexuality and increased safe sex education. Advocacy for a new national policy of education to meet with the current education needs and encouraging more girls in STEM.
8. Continuous Training program officers on statistical tools on data collection and analysis.
9. Holding government accountable for laws, policies and programs that do not support gender equality.
10. Increase capacity building workshop for women in politics and business. Adult education opportunities for women in politics to encourage more women acquire the basic educational qualification to quality for elective and appointive positions in line with electoral laws
11. Supporting the process for the development of state gender policy and creation of safe work spaces for women.
12. Lobby for a more gender friendly budgeting policy that will empower the Ministry of women Affairs and vulnerable groups.
13. Attracting grants and support from international donor agencies and development partners for development work.
14. Improved synergy and networking amongst NGO’s and CBO’s for cross fertilisation of ideas and greater impact.
15. Upgrading of skills of program officers and key staff of NGO’s and CBO’s on the dynamics of gender advocacy.
16. Inclusive advocacy by factoring into programs the needs of women and girls living with disability.

CONCLUSION

No country can claim to have achieved total gender equality. Achieving the broad principles of BDPfA, and gender equality requires urgency. There must be an intentional commitment of government, her agencies, institutions, men and women, organised advocacy groups and activist towards implementing policies and programs to breaking every barrier to gender equality. As a matter of urgency, CBO’S and NGO’s must be adequately empowered and positioned to drive this change for as long as it takes.

REFERENCES

LINKS

National gender policy available at http://www.aacoalition.org/national_policy_women.htm 

National Ministerial platform report available at http://fmi.gov.ng/wp- content/uploads/2013/06/2013-MP-WA.pdf  ss@article{Odimegwu2003GenderRI,

  title={Gender Role Ideologies and Prevalence of Violence Against Women in Imo State, Nigeria},author={C. Odimegwu and C. Okemgbo} journal={The Anthropologist}, year={2003},volume={5}, pages={225 – 236}

MWA Owerri 2020

Bibliography

Beijing + 20 Country Report (2015). Abuja: Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.

Gender in Nigeria Country Report (2012). Abuja: DFID 

The 2006 National Gender Policy 

GBV Sub sector Annual Report 2017. Abuja: UNFPA 

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER ACTION

1. Legal frameworks on gender equality and non – discrimination in place
2. VAPP Act passed into law. 
3. Monitor, track and document progress with the implementation of existing laws.
4. Encourage On going collaboration between the MWASD and international partners (UNFPA, the Norwegian Government and others) to track, document and disseminate information in this area.  
5. EU/UN Spotlight Initiative to address and prevent GBV in selected states with key areas of focus being ending child marriage and FGM  
6. Collaboration between FMWASD and the GBV sub- sector working group to increase access to comprehensive and well- coordinated GBV response services including livelihood support for survivors in the North East. 
7. GBV shelters established in some state Ministries. 
8. Establish referral centers in the 6 geopolitical zones and train professional support staff.
9. Develop and institutionalize national GBV data base. 
10. Appointed for police force.  Gender desk established in some police stations across the 6 geopolitical zones.
11.  Free legal aid services provided by FIDA  
12. Ongoing national campaign by FMWASD and civil society to uphold constitutional provisions which prohibit girl – child marriage.  Regional advocacy partnership effort with UN Women to target traditional rulers and gatekeepers of custom across the 6 geopolitical zones.  
13. Sustain community level advocacy and awareness raising. 
14. Sustain the national advocacy campaign against girl-child marriage. 
15. Collaborate with civil society groups in order to identify and prosecute specific cases for legal action 
16.  Laws against FGM/C in place at federal level and in most states. 
17. Track implementation of laws prohibiting FGM and generate periodic national scorecards showing progress with implementation at state levels. 
18. In 2013, the FMWASD, working with the Federal Ministries of Education and Labour as well as civil society groups, with the support of international partners (such as Action Aid) formed a coalition to focus on advocacy around unpaid care in Nigeria and how to integrate that into
19. Commission studies to establish a national baseline and sustain advocacy efforts.
20. Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments, ministerial positions and local government.
21. Collaboration with civil society and international partners to improve and increase women’s =participation in electoral processes is ongoing. 
22. Sustain advocacy for more gender sensitive internal political party regimes. 
23. Action pending on this.  Collaborate with private sector and international partners to generate country baseline and plan of action. 
24. Periodic publication of National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) by National Population Council 
25. Continue national campaign on women’s Sexual and reproductive health rights. 
26. Provisions on equal access made in the National Gender Policy.
27. Engage the Ministry of Health, National Orientation Agency and other MDAs to develop and implement national plan of action
28. Land ownership in Nigeria is deeply rooted in customary rules and traditional practices. While it is possible to negotiate land for agricultural purposes for women in some communities, the issue of registered legal ownership is a particularly challenging and can only happen in the long term. 
29. Adopt a phased approach to the issue of land rights, which will focus primarily on negotiating land for agricultural use for more women. 
30. Track and document progress made with securing access to land for women in agriculture.
31. The Land Use Act and the Constitution both guarantee equal access to land for men and women. 
32. FMWASD to collaborate with Federal Ministry of Agriculture and with the councils of traditional rulers to expand access to land for women in  Agriculture
33. Number of systems to track and make public, allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment. 
34. Budget performance monitoring framework in place and used by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) to generate annual sector budget performance results 
35. Engage the MOFand OSSAP-SDG’s to integrate gender  performance indicators in budget performance framework.