WE ARE HUMAN! (By Joshua Enakarhire)

World, We are human
The woman is human
She is my sister
Born of same father
She is my mother
Mother of many fathers
Nations - some unborn
She is my friend
My Companion, my confidant

Why care about stoning?
Why care about the air we breathe?
About life and trees
Wild cats running free
About money and making a living
About medicine and Healthy eating
Why?
Human, she is Woman
Her world truly should be protected
This should be OUR world
WE are human
That's why I care.

Submitted (22/9/13 in support of the Who cares about stoning? online Photo campaign of the WLUML Global campaign on Stop Stoning

Source: BAOBAB

THE MAN IN THE MIRROR ( By Alexandra Obienu)

Wisdom. Wisdom isn't a thing far-fetched.
Judgment differs from Condemnation.
We judge those who kill but we kill and call it penance justified.
It has been said that a man strongest is a man of conviction.
How carved can we be that we can't bend to be wise?
How rigid is our folly on the foundation of believe?
How pious can we profess to be when in that piety lies our insanity?
Why stone another and look yourself in the mirror and say, "well done!"
it's inhumanity and murder!

There's no wrong in the world, no matter the magnitude, that can or would ever justify inhumanity.
Inhumanity is just a reflection of ignorance on some level.
We all somehow live in glass houses.
Toss your stones instead, into the sea.
Preach restitution, not Condemnation.
Don't blame the status quo.
Blame the man in the mirror.

Submitted (13/9/13) in support of the Who cares about stoning? online Photo campaign of the WLUML Global campaign on Stop Stoning

Source: BAOBAB

I CARE! (By Joshua Enakarhire)

I care about meat stuck in my teeth
I care about humanity
I care about wearing a full hair on my head
I care about THE WOMAN

I care about the rhythm of music
I care that the voice of a woman is heard
I care about the love of a woman
I care about children
I care about life and death

I care about stoning a woman,
because it is inhuman
That is Why I care!

Submitted (22/9/13) in support of the Who cares about stoning? online Photo campaign of the WLUML Global campaign on Stop Stoning 

Source: BAOBAB

Press Release: The retention of the provision of Section 29(4)(b) in the amendment process of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights (BAOBAB) strongly condemns the recent happenings with the Nigerian constitutional amendment process in the Senate to retain the provision of Section 29(4) (b) which says that “any woman who is married shall be deemed to be of full age", This provision would imply that a female child even at birth, if married, is deemed to be of full age.

This is particularly disheartening given the high rate of maternal mortality in Nigeria, primarily due to the prevalence of Vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) / Rectovaginal fistula (RVF). The majority of the cases of VVF in Nigeria are as a result of early girl child marriage. Early marriage in many instances leads to the withdrawal of girls from schools and thrusts upon them marital and reproductive responsibilities for which they are neither physically nor mentally mature to carry out.

BAOBAB sees this clause as a clear violation of the rights of the girl child and various international treaties such as:

• The Child Rights Act 2003: Section 21 & 22 which prohibits child marriage and betrothal .
• Convention of Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW): Article 16 (2) which says the betrothal and the marriage of a child shall have no legal effect, and all necessary action, including legislation, shall be taken to specify a minimum age for marriage and to make the registration of marriages in an official registry compulsory.
• Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa Article 6 (b) which provides that the minimum age of marriage for women is 18 years.

BAOBAB is using this medium to call on the National Assembly, Senate and the Nigerian government to:

1. Remove the contentious provision of Section 29(4) (b) from the Constitution.
2. Fulfill its obligations of implementing international treaties which Nigeria signed and ratified that would protect rights of the girl child such as The Child Rights Act, CEDAW & the Protocol to the African Charter

Signed:

Anne Lawal
Ag. Executive Director
BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights

Stop Stoning of Women Global Campaign

In line with the newly adopted UN Security Council resolution 2106 (2013); States bear the primary responsibility to respect  and ensure the human rights of all persons within their territory, as provided by  international law.  This embraces women’s political, social and economic empowerment as well as gender equality; it emphasizes that parties to armed conflict bear the primary responsibility to ensure the protection of civilians; including national ownership and responsibility to address the root causes of sexual violence in armed conflict.
 

BAOBAB for Women Human Rights, commend the effort of the UN in adopting the Security Council resolution 2106 (2013). We earnestly hope that States would embrace and put in law this resolution to provide great support for victims of torture. In this vein, we enjoin you to take part in the Stop Stoning campaign to end laws that promotes Violent Punishments and Torture Against Women such as stoning, by signing on to the petition (http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/united-nations-secretary-general-the-ohchr-end-stoning-now) and circulating the information amongst your networks. Thank you
 

Related links
http://www.wluml.org/media/commission-status-women-57-statement-stoning
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=45253&Cr=sexual+violence&Cr1=conflict
http://www.un.org/en/sc/inc/pages/pdf/adv/sres21062013.pdf

In Memoriam of Sindi Medar-Gould

With a heavy heart and deepest sorrow we, the entire staff of BAOBAB For Women’s Human Rights (BAOBAB) announce the sudden demise of Sindi Medar Gould the former Executive Director of BAOBAB, Sindi Medar-Gould a citizen of St Lucia in the Caribbean, was a great feminist, facilitator, researcher & activist for women’s human rights in Nigeria and globally. She contributed a great deal to the emancipation and empowerment of women and girl children. Sindi’s last appointment was with the Women’s Learning Partnership for Rights, Development & Peace (WLP), as a Senior Consultant and Global Trainer. Sindi also worked with various women human rights organizations and movement. She touched many lives and helped to give women a reason to live a life with hope for a better tomorrow. She would be greatly missed and remembered as a great leader. Farewell Sindi!!!

Signed



Mma Odi
Executive Director
BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights

 Click here to read tributes from people whose lives Sindi has touched

Women in Conflict and Peace-Building

Over the past two decades, Nigeria has experienced increased levels of insecurity and violence which has claimed many lives and property. The state of insecurity has affected virtually every aspect of social and economic development and women have so far been especially affected by such violence and insecurity because of their peculiar roles as homemakers, caregivers as well as their relatively poor economic status.   

Unarmed women and children thus continue to bear the brunt of massacres that occur in different parts of the country, especially in northern Nigeria.  The mass killing that occurred in Jos, Plateau state in 2010, for example, resulted in the death of many Nigerians most of whom were women and children.  To date, the number of the victims affected by that massacre has not been confirmed.  In recognition of the precarious situation that women found themselves in that tragedy, many women organized a peaceful “wailing” protest in Abuja demanding justice and protection from such attacks.  The massacre brought about condemnations from both local and international agencies and government officials.  It also brought to light women’s interest and role in peace building processes that aim to provide rehabilitation for victims of conflict and establish preventive systems. 

Recent events of conflicts, bombing of commercial and public places in Nigeria show that conflicts must be managed, not ignored and there must be concrete efforts for peace building. Such processes must also be completely inclusive of all interests represented in the country.  Without peace there can be no meaningful development and without women’s involvement in the design and implementation of policies and programs on conflict resolution and peace-building such activities will fail to achieve its purpose.  On  October 31 2000 the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted the Security Council Resolution 1325 (SCR1325), stating in article 2 of the Resolution: “Reaffirming the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peace-building, and stressing the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security, and the need to increase their role in decision- making with regard to conflict prevention and resolution”.  In addition, various other international and regional instruments as well as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria states clearly women’s right to protection in conflict situations and their involvement (without discrimination) in peace building and conflict resolution processes. Nigeria is signatory to a host of such international instruments and laws.

BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights in recognition of the rights of women in conflicts situation and peace building process dedicates her 2013 calendar to women in conflicts. The 2013 calendar highlights quotations from legal instruments that outlaw violence against women in conflicts and recommend women’s involvement in peace-building processes.

Gender Violence; Women mostly affected - by Theresa Kelubia

Violence is an act carried out with the intention or perceived intention of physically harming another person. From a gender perspective, it is a violent act perpetrated on women mostly by men because they are women. It has also been pointed out by the society that women are vulnerable to various forms of violent acts for several reasons such as being seen as weaker vessels,   being financially dependent on their men, and low self esteem. When there is a crisis woman and young girls are usually targeted and this has led women to be subjected to rape, sexual harassment, just to mention a few.
Rape has become the issue of the day as many women and young girls are victims of this evil act. Rape is an unlawful carnal knowledge of a woman or a girl without her consent. The word rape sends shivers down the spine of most women, I for one. It is the worst sexual assault and violence any women can be subjected to but a very common incident in our society today. Women are often raped by their fathers, stepfathers, uncles, strangers and robbers.
It is bad enough for robbers to do away with your valuable goods but very devastating when they encroach on the most valuable, priceless part of you, carting away with that which cannot be replaced in a life time, leaving the victims with a life-time  scare,  a condition that in most cases has an adverse effect on them. In the same vein, it is very bad to hear a situation where a father will rape his own daughter. It is very disheartening. This in turn has other very traumatic consequences such as; expulsion from school, early/unplanned pregnancy, HIV/ AIDs, abortion and in certain cases death.
In relationships with men, women are also said to be vulnerable (weaker vessels).  This relates to the society’s concept that views women as property owned by men and dependant on their male ‘protectors’. Many women suffer humiliation, brutalization and battering as a result of this misconception. The marriage of under-aged girls against their will is a harmful practice embedded in many cultures and traditions. The root causes are complex but driven by factors that include gender inequalities, poverty, negative traditional or religious practices, weak enforcement of laws that prohibit such practices as well as pressures caused by conflict and natural disasters. It is a cross border issue affecting women and young girls in many countries around the world.
Violation of women’s human rights exist in three contexts- the family, community and the state. It is very appalling that the family is a major site of violence from the very moment a female child is born she is considered as a second-class. She is deprived of education and inheritance in favour of her male siblings. Everything done to her is geared toward preparing her to carry out her duties to her husband and family. The community culture, religion and ethnic values play a critical role in reinforcing the structure of the family and the position of women within it. The community plays the role of defining gender relations within the ideal family and often set the stage for female subordination. Punishment for extra-marital sex, rape and other forms of physical chastisements  are amongst additional practices of gender violence perpetrated against women in the name of preserving ethnic or religious integrity. At the state level, for example in Nigeria the rights of women are clearly spelt out in the nation’s constitution. Rights is defined as “A power, privilege or immunity, guaranteed under the constitution. Respect for rights is seen as a matter of justice. The rights of women enshrined in the Nigerian constitution are consistent with the ideals of humanism. Unfortunately, it is sad to say that those rights and ideals have remained paper tigers, mere theoretical postulations without any practical bearing on the lives and conditions of women.
Every woman deserves more than being seen as a weaker vessel, and discriminated against in the society. Domestic violence in the country should be discouraged. Women should be protected and not to be destroyed. Nigeria is blessed with women and if encouraged and given the opportunity, they will contribute substantially to the development of the country and Nigeria would become a better place. "A woman's body is the only piece of Real Estate on which she owes no mortgage." (Glenda Simms, Jamaica)

References:
Margaret Schuler- Freedom from violence women’s strategies from around the world
Akanda L. & Shamim. I (1984) Women and Violence: A comparative study
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/adam-short/child-brides-a-rights vio_b_986669.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008
Women unfairly treated by policy-makers”, Daily Sun Newspaper, Tuesday, June 22, 2010, p 7.

Changing the Feminine Face of Poverty in Nigeria: Challenges of Poverty Facing Women and BAOBAB’s Strategic Interventions - by Yewande Okoya

Seventy percent of those living in absolute poverty in our world - that is starving or on the edge of starvation - are female. All over the world, women and children are the mass of the poor and the poorest of the poor.

In Nigeria, as in many other developing countries, the new face of poverty is woman. This has become an economic phenomenon as the gap between women and men caught in the cycle of poverty has continued to widen in the past decade, a phenomenon commonly referred to as ‘the feminization of poverty’. This underscores the fact that where an issue affects (negatively) both man and woman, in most cases the woman suffers more than the man. In the situation of single parenting for instance, families headed by women are poorer compared with those headed by men.

In any society, women should play a central role in shaping future generations, physiologically, emotionally, morally, spiritually and intellectually, but when women are poor, they are not free and their choices are limited and so, are unable to perform this central role the failure of which has dire consequences for future generations.

The feminization of poverty has recently become a significant problem in Nigeria as in other developing countries with economics in transition as a short-term consequence of the process of political, economic and social transformation. In addition to economic factors, the rigidity of socially ascribed gender roles and women’s limited access to power, education, training and productive resources as well as other emerging factors that may lead to securities for families are responsible. Due to these gender roles, women are not given equal opportunity as the men to be educated and liberated economically because in some parts of society, educating a woman is seen as a waste of resources, since a man will marry her; the onus is on the man to take up responsibilities. Even in parts of society where education and economic empowerment are accepted and promoted, women are expected to perform majority of household chores and take sole responsibility of childcare even when both the male and female partners have full time jobs.

These stereotypes and socialization have continued to make women worldwide far more likely to be poorer than men. Men in particular and the nation as a whole, need to realize that this issue is not just a “women's issue" but it is is about your mother and your grandmother. It's about your sisters and it's about the future of your daughters and how to move this country forward because women make-up about 50% of the population and as such can not be ignored.

Challenges of Poverty and BAOBAB’s Interventions

1. Lack of access to good health care services. In this regards and essentially, BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights believes strongly in the power of ‘empowering’. BAOBAB empowers women and girls through its Leadership Training by building their capacities as leaders where they (women) must allow improvement and be resourceful without depending on anyone’s wealth for daily sustenance.

2. Lack of access to information. – BAOBAB provides women with information in accessing economic and educational opportunities, as well as the autonomy needed to take advantage of such opportunities.

3. Lack of access to affordable Legal representation. The importance of training women and girls to be self dependent, resourceful sharing of relevant and useful information, providing women with skills, boosting their morale that gives confidence and self dependency for optimum achievement of goals and aspiration matters most to BAOBAB as we totally agree that they (women) should be shown how to fish rather than giving them fish.

4. Encountering difficulties as it relates to funds while making interventions relevant to women’s issues at the community level. Most non governmental organizations work on the larger base while some women groups work mainly at the community levels who are familiar with the issues on ground. BAOBAB’s 14 outreach team states functions primarily in this regard. Also, BAOBAB re-granted some amount of money received from the American World Jewish Service to some selected women groups for specific interventions in these communities. The idea of the re-grant was to basically fund women groups who could not access funds from funders that requires funding database which mostly leaves the issues on ground unattended to.

5. Domestication of women’s human rights instruments. BAOBAB continues to play and lead advocacy roles at the state, national, regional and international levels in ensuring the ratification, domestication, implementations (as the case may be) of instruments that attends to the concerns of women. BAOBAB played an active role in ensuring that Lagos State Government domesticated the violence against women bill. BAOBAB also coordinated the NGO CEDAW Coalition and produced a Shadow Report in response the Nigerian 6th Country Report to CEDAW.

What we can do

Women must be identified and situated as a specific target group in the national poverty eradication programmes. In this regard, funders, foundations and non governmental organisations should inculcate into its programme plan provisions for gender training for senior decision-makers to mainstream gender perspective into sectoral development planning.

Women’s NGOs and other organisations should ensure that Nigeria undertake legislative and administrative reforms to give women full and equal access to economic resources, including the right to inheritance and to ownership of land, as required in the Beijing Platform for Action.

References

1. Adidu, Paper Presentation on Feminization of Poverty in Nigeria,December 2005.

2. Callagham, Hamber and Takira; A Triad of Oppression – Violence, Women and Poverty: Center for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation.

3. Women and Poverty, FWCW Platform for Action, 2005

4. www.alternet.org/feminism_poverty

BAOBAB and WLP invites you to a Panel at the CSW 55 Parallel events

BAOBAB for Women's Human Rights (BAOBAB) and Women's Learning Partnership for Rights, Development and Peace (WLP) invites you to a Panel at The CSW 55 Parallel events on " Women’s Political Participation and Leadership: Challenging Fundamentalisms". click here to view the flyer

The fangs of Child Marriage: Saving the future generation - By Yomi Oyeleke

Despite the provision of the Child Rights Act (CRA) S.21 which prohibits and provides penalty for the marriage and betroth’al of a child under the age of 18, Child marriage is still very rampant in some states in Nigeria. One of such states is Adamawa. The  emotional and psychological effect of this child marriage phenomenon takes a huge toll on the affected young girls. 

In May 2010,  BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights, in partnership with the Women’s Learning Partnership for Rights, Development and Peace (WLP), organized a leadership training for young girls between the ages of 13-18.  The leadership training, which involved different exercises equipped the young girls with leadership skills and provided an opportunity for the girls to learn how to negotiate and build alliances  in addressing problems and in advocating for their rights. Some of the girls were interviewed by a journalist from radio Adamawa. When asked about the issues they desired to be addressed in their communities they aired their distaste for child marriage and made the request that parents should educate their girl-child rather than give them out in marriage. The young beneficiaries also promised to be advocates of change in challenging the existing practice on child marriage by educating their siblings and peers. The outcome of the training showed that investing in the young girls is indeed a wise practice to protect future generation of girls from the menace of the culture of child marriage.

Beneficiaries of the Leadership training relayed their experiences three months after the training.

“My friend is very young but her parents want her married. She has been taught it is the culture, and told that she must obey her parents though she is unhappy about it, there is no where to run to, even her education is at stake because she doesn’t  know what to expect after marriage, however, I encouraged her not to give up on her studies”-Maimuna Hassan

“I learnt a lot from the leadership training. Since the training, I’ve been talking to my classmates, my seniors and juniors and their reactions have been positive. The only problem around here is the issue of Child marriage. One of my classmates is about to be married off during this vacation and am yet to see her”- Cecelia Goodfrey

“Since the training, I’ve been exhibiting good leadership qualities and teaching others to do so. I’ve not heard of any case of Child marriage in my school in the last three months.”- Sadiya Dahiru

“I have been educating my peers on good leadership qualities and gender issues as we were taught during the training. While some have shown great interest others do not want to change their behaviour. The issue of child marriage is still a challenge because the parents are involved and it is done in the name of culture. My classmate was recently married off to a man in Abuja by her parents. She is very unhappy about the development and I heard that her husband in Abuja has divorced her because of her unhappiness towards the whole arrangement. I hope her parents will allow her to continue her education.”-Fadimatu Mohammed

As I listened to the stories of these young girls who have been victims cum survivors of child marriage, I consoled myself with a popular slogan of BAOBAB which says “You cannot change the past but you can try to change the future.”

16 Days of Activism - Press Briefing on 25th November 2009

As part of the activities to mark the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence, BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights hosted twelve (12) journalists from the print and electronic media to a press briefing on the 25th of November 2009.

The Executive Director of BAOBAB informed the media personnel present that gender based violence has been a cause for concern, not only in Nigeria but across the world which of course can be attributed to the patriarchal notion of control tied to various cultural beliefs that has given rise to the systemic discrimination against women in private and public spheres. She further mentioned that the manifestations of these practices include deeply rooted obnoxious cultural practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM), widowhood rites, and early and/or forced marriages amongst others thereby making Gender Based Violence to be one of the most heinous and prevalent cause of human rights abuses in the world, and is a threat to all women no matter their class or status, and an obstacle to all human efforts for development, peace and gender equality in all societies.

The agenda for the day also had a 30 minutes documentary shown to the journalists on cases of violence against women and BAOBAB’s work and intervention to that effect. The documentary showcased true stories and cases of different forms of violence against women in Nigeria. It featured some important highlights of the Mock Tribunal on Violence Against Women BAOBAB did in year 2001 in Abuja.

This medium was used to call on the Federal Government of Nigeria to act as a matter of urgency to domesticate and implement the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) which it signed and ratified without reservation in 1985 as part of Nigerian national laws. She emphasized that having laws that protect women from violence is a strategic step towards reducing the occurrence of Gender Based Violence and according women their rightful place in the development of Nigeria as a great nation.

The choice of the press briefing as part of activities to mark the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence was also to sensitise media personnel on how they report cases of women’s human rights. Journalists were implored to report cases of gender based violence and women’s human rights issues from a gender perspective as it is evident that their thoughts to a great extent affect the way they report. BAOBAB stands by its belief that there is never any reason to inflict violence against women and adopts a zero tolerance attitude to Gender Based Violence.