'Reflections on Women's Rights'

REFLECTIONS ON WOMEN RIGHTS
CSW 52nd SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN VIEW.


“The world has never yet seen a truly great and virtuous nation, because in the degradation of women, the very fountains of life are poisoned at their source”
Lucretia Mott. At the first Women’s Rights Convention, 1848

Commencing from the 25th February through 7th March, 2008 the Fifty-Second annual session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will hold at the United Nations Headquarters, New York. Priority theme for this session is; FINANCING FOR GENDER EQUALITY AND THE EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN. Here stakeholders: women from all walks of life, from every status and nation of the world, Civil Rights organizations, Non governmental Organizations, Women Rights Advocates, Experts on gender issues, Representatives of governments, international organizations, Financers and various facet of gender sensitive establishments would once again have the opportunity to interact, articulate and deliberate on issues bordering on women and ruminate on the way forward to the attainment of women empowerment in a highly marginalized global society. What emerges thereat is more gender-conscious approach to the formulation of policies and national programs which the various state parties have committed themselves to integrate, actualize, and reflect constructively and statutorily. This forum also provides direction and sample framework of other communities which successes on gender issues can be imbibed by other communities to enhance the status of women in other places.

Women have come a long way since the first organized Feminist movement of the 19th century in New York in 1848. The Seneca Fall Convention gave birth to the Seneca Fall declaration where women resolutely resolved, demanding suffrage and equal participation in all facets of governance, economy and society. In 1991, the United Nations Convention on Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) came into force. The 1995 World Conference of Women in Beijing propelled the movement forward with the Platform for Action which has remained relevant in the quest for women empowerment. The societal misplacement of women, who constitute more than half of the human population of the world, has closed against her the opportunity to attain higher social and political functions due to the fatality of birth, which instance made her permanently disabled. At this period in history, no amount of education could make a woman the equal of any man! Jean Jacque Rousseau summed this up when he wrote in19th century that “The whole education of a woman ought to be relative to men.”

It is unfortunate that this was the heritage bequeathed Africans by the colonial masters who enforced draconian laws on our forebears. Soon the truncheon whip of oppression lethally but legally exerted on American and English women bolted down on African colonies and the once revered African women who had once actively participated in governance were rendered redundant and obsolete, stripped of their growing influences. Hitherto, African women had strong presence and imputes in commerce. They made huge contributions to governance and formulation of public policies. They also contributed immensely to maintaining peace and order in time of conflict. But the advent of a new era brought about barrage of total disempowerment and disregard for women’s contributions and participation in politics. As a result African women were suppressed, made docile, and legally became non-entities; nothing more than sex tools and chattel, an anathema which furthered the interest of the slave trade movement.

However, it seems the moral worth of all human laws is tied to historically specific social realities. This century arouses humanistic consciousness which made all agreed that it is barbaric to ignore the fundamental human rights, the inalienable gift given to mankind by God! The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Chapter IV of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution, ensures this and does not discriminate on the basis of gender. Rather it purposefully eradicates any form of discrimination, marginalization and segregation that is gender related. It guarantees liberty and ensures equality of all citizens before the law; equality because all mankind share in the dignity of the person and are equally the subject foundation and end of society. To secure and promote these rights therefore is the primary duty of government. Liberty to self realization and opportunity through which women could pursue their own choice and attain equality with their counterpart, provisions to be supplied in multitudes are the primary responsibility of government the custodian of these rights! In effect, it is the responsibility of the Nigerian government to protect the dignity of the Nigerian women.

This dignity comes in the form of respect to her person, protection from violence, oppression and barbaric cultural practices, ensuring her economic empowerment, rights to equal academic opportunity, literacy and equal participation in governance amongst others.. Today the democratic government of erstwhile President Olusegun Obasanjo and the present regime of President Yar’Adua have given women more participation in governance than any other regime in Nigeria. But the 30% representation recommended by the Beijing declaration of 1995 of which Nigeria has made total commitment is still 28% short in articulating women participation in national governance.

Ordinarily women on their own can effectively change the face of the Nigerian politics and economy as they made up half of the population and not less than 50% of the electorates. However, 80% are chained in poverty and many other factors like domestic violence, trafficking in women, illiteracy and the highly patriarchal society impedes this trend. Even if reason fails in its function to the extent that a patriarchal society refuses to make gender sensitive rules after having committed to do so in international treaties and instruments, women should supply the lack by their dogged insistence on the actualization of these commitments, relentlessly agitating for the practice of the Rule of Law and consistently, importunately advocate for gender equality. Women must also resolve to actualize self realization on their part by determinedly embarking on their ambitions no matter how outrageously ridiculous it might seem to the male dominated society, pursuing excellence in their careers, lives and in every sphere of activity in society. They should dare to break new grounds, attain higher honours, excel every time opportunity presents itself for them to serve in governance, and in spite of the squirming squalor and rage of corruption make a difference.

Every woman must come to the consciousness that the individual can make a difference. It is historical fact that it takes individual to build institutions. Perhaps not far fetched is the person of Professor Dora Akunyili of NAFDAC under the Ministry of Health. Likewise Dr. Obiagele Ezekwesili presently, Vice President World Bank “Madam due process” as she has come to be known! Also Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, MD. World Bank formerly Finance Minister of Nigeria. They are living stories to attest to the changing faces of the Nigerian women! Indeed a single grain of rice can tip the scale! These women amongst others have made the African women very proud!

A woman that would excel in these desperate times must not follow the norm of ‘business as usual.’ There are risk of being persecuted even risk of being eliminated while the pressure to succumb to the prevailing ills might be truly suffocating. But the stakes are much higher for we owe humanity the debt to be equal to men and be treated likewise. It is the only way we could make a difference and cause humanity to achieve the prosperity it seeks in globalization.
Helen Lawrenson said it more succinctly,

“If a woman is sufficiently ambitious, determined and gifted there is nothing she can’t do.”

And to Katherine Mansfield a woman of dogged belief in woman participation in representative governance if risky it is, so be it,

“Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinion of others, for those voices.
Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth.”

Our humanity and democratic principles requires us to work together cohesively with men un-perturbly flowing in confluence, ambitiously exerting effort towards the same goal. Women do not seek to usurp men’s positions and powers. No, never! They merely seek the realization and actualization of the inalienable rights that has been given by God and deprived of them for so long. Our society tends to trivalise and underscores this agitation, ignoring the clamour of the largest tribe of human ever marginalized! In so doing Nations repress a huge percentage of their human resources and gross domestic product (GDP) potentials! Our society ought to have realized by now that it need not rely on coercion, oppression or repression of women nor any of its component unit for survival as this impedes national progress and are demeaning to the Nigerian nation in the committee of civilized nations.

As it has been through human history, liberty never comes easy. It is usually fraught with blood, persistence and passion. It is always the duty of the captive to break free from captivity! Emancipation comes to those who willing to fight for their beliefs, do so by not mere words but by actions to acquire their civil, political and natural rights. Liberty only comes to those who are sufficiently informed about their privileges and rights. It is therefore mandatory for women rights organizations to keep mobilizing, sensitizing and educating other women and keep on lobbying in and out of the corridors of power for more gender participation in government and civil society so as to prosecute gender sensitive projects through which we could edge towards achieving women empowerments and eradication of poverty amongst the vast majority of Nigerian women and the women of the world.

In pursuit of these goals and furtherance to ensuring governmental performance of gender sensitive recommendations it has voluntarily made commitments to implement, Nigerian women will make quality representation to the forth coming CSW in New York come February 25th. Civil Society Organizations, Organizations working on gender and women empowerment issues, Human Rights Organizations, International Communities, Women representations from all and sundry will be at hand to exchange knowledge and commit to advancing the struggle to bring effective actualization of progressive gender resolutions into practical realities in various countries of the world. It is needless to say that this meeting would be of immense value to the Nigerian women and nation as a whole.

Tejumade Oke
Director, Center for the Rule of Law
(CENTROLAW)