Gender Violence Majorly Traced To Traditions, Societal Norms

A Professor of sociology in the Department of Sociology, Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Prof Agatha Eguovoen has ascribed one of the major causes that engender violence against women and the girl child to traditions, norms and customs.
Prof Eguovoen made the statement at an event organized by the Women’s Rights and Health Project (WRHP), with the theme: ‘Refresher Workshop for Community Representatives on Enhancing Gender Equality and Protection from Gender-Based Violence for Women and Girls in Edo State,” said, “our human right given to us by God is greater than our constitutional rights”.
Speaking on the topic ‘Understanding Human Rights Gender and Gender Based Violences’, Prof. Agatha said women must be interested to know those social norms and cultures that limit them from exercising their rights.
She stated, “You must be interested to know some of these practices that violate women rights. Everybody created by God has one gene. No need for discrimination and we have our fundamental human rights; nobody can violate it by the virtue of the fact that you are existing on earth. Nobody can take it away from you. If they take it away, go to court. The chances that you will get in court will be up to 90 per cent that make you feel human because that right is more superior than what the constitution has to give to you”.
She advised them to carefully find out those limiting traditions and norms. “Carefully find out those roles that constitute your social constrains like cultures, behaviours, norms and customs so that you will know how to live with them”.
She further explained that gender can either be a man or a woman, and it is not only about women, Social constrains are created by societal ascribed roles, noting,“they will say the work of the woman is in the kitchen but, there is a society where the work of the woman is in the forest or office”.
“Culture varies and changes per time, so when somebody is saying to you, this is how we do it in our culture, ask the person what he/she knows about culture. It is not what it was in 10th, 15th and 20th century. We are in the 21st century. In those earlier centuries, I talked about, do you have phones at that time? Why should you be talking about culture that is static?” she asked.
She lamented that women are the most affected in a society where insecurity is the order of the day, like what we are witnessing in Nigeria presently.
Prof Eguovoen listed the features of human rights as follows: “Human rights cannot be revoked and when violated, you go to court for redress”.
She also gave some of the examples of human rights as, right to life, right to human dignity, right or freedom of association and right to equality before the Law, right to freedom of belief and religion, right to own property, right from torture and degrading treatment, right to privacy at home, family and community, right to unfair public arrest and hearing and right to no to discrimination on the basis of gender, sex, religion and work place.
The professor called for the protection of the girl child and stressed that is not only men that beat their wives as some women also beat their husbands at home according to her own research.
She gave examples of sexual violence as rape, sexual assault, forced marriage, wife interference, psychological and emotional violence, deprivation of all types including harmful words-deliberate and public humiliation, while social economic violence were listed as harmful traditional practices, wife trial ordeal and obnoxious widowhood rights.
Prof Eguoven noted that women must liberate themselves through education, and ensure they speak up on their rights and not allow people to trample on their fundamental human rights.
She stressed that the violation of women rights must stop, as a result of the constant awareness programmes and adequate advocacy campaigns by women groups.
In her lecture on “Edo State Violence Against Persons Act,” former chairperson of FIDA, Stella Ojeme, said the law is enacted to eliminate all forms of discrimination in private and public lives.
Ojeme said the greatest violence against human beings is when a child that is supposed to be in school, is hawking and selling on the streets. She advised the participants selected from various local government areas in Edo State to spread the message to their different communities.
She explained that a woman should tell a man how she would like to be treated before marriage, and ensure they make the right choice of husband.
Ojeme said for women to liberate themselves from cultural harmful norms, they must acquire modern education.
Program Officer of Women’s Rights and Health Project(WRHP), Segun Babalola, said their target is to reach out to 5,000 people in various communities in Edo State with the aim is to identify those gate keepers, opinion leaders, religious leaders, chief priests and traditional rulers in different communities that would serve as an advocates to help promote their major goal.
“What this project is about is to sensitize our people in the various communities about gender based violence, especially about the law, as it protects their rights against any violence. That is the summary of what the project is about. Gender based violence has been with us for many years and people now see it as norms.
“All these things have become inheritances, and what we are trying to do is to change the narrative, no matter our background, culture and tribal. Because of these issues, law has been drafted to address those grey areas. For Edo State as example, the state has domesticated the national law which is the Violence Against Persons Act”.
He explained that the state government domesticated and simplified the law to make it easier to understand by all.
“Edo State now extracted her law related to the State Law to protect people from all these abuses. We have simplified the law in a simple form with pictures the way people would understand it. To simplify the law and to also help us campaign; we are training to make people go back to their community to educate them about the law to stop those abuses people are facing, ” Babalola explained.
Expressing joy over the training, some of the participants, Mrs. Sule Rykayat Omoshoike and Apostle Osayande Asibor from Uwelu community, thanked the organizers and promised to take the messages to their different communities to inform and educate the people about the Law.