Girls and
Women Protection and Empowerment; A Gateway to Reduction in the Spread of
HIV/AIDS
Going
down the memory lane; HIV was first discovered in Nigeria in the year 1986 on a
teenage girl. As much as we tried to deny the report, the trace remained glaring
and ‘un-doubt-able’ and since the discovery, Nigerian governments has put
efforts to tide this scourge; in partnership with them on this journey are
notable International Partners and Donor Agencies, but twenty-six years after,
HIV remains a public health challenge.
Several
policies, frameworks, guidelines, strategic action plans, laws etc, have been
developed as well as interventions and programs put on line these past years,
yet there remain huge gaps that must be bridged if the global world will cross
over to the other side of a HIV free world. Dogged
and holistic protection and empowerment
of girls and women is that gap.
How
the girl on which HIV was first discovered, contracted the virus is an issue
that many have not really pondered on. Medical Personnel as well as Experts
working on HIV will agree with me that girls and women are more susceptible to
HIV and other STIs.
For
reasons such as: biological makeup, high poverty rate, sexual abuse of children and
girls, inability to negotiate safer sex, harmful cultural practices i.e. wife
battery, wife inheritance, use of girls and women as refreshment, female
genital mutilation, early and forced marriages, among others. Other
factors that are blamed on girls and women include ignorance, lack of basic life
building skills needed by adolescent to handle reproductive health issues, peer
pressure, low self esteem, and many more.
To
achieve a significant result in the tide against HIV/AIDS, there is need for
every stakeholder to pay more attention to the protection of the reproductive
rights and health of girls and women as well as their economic empowerment. As
highlighted above, girls and women are more prone to HIV and other STIs, but
one of the prominent vices that render this category of people vulnerable to
HIV is sexual abuse; which is a
major gender based violence.
This
menace in recent times has reached an unquestionable peak. Perpetrators walk
away with no one to hold them accountable; as a result, this abnormality is fast
becoming a way of life. The enforcement mechanism is extremely weak; there is
lack of comprehensive legal framework and Will power to fight this inhuman
treatment. Everyone appears to rather keep quite than report a case of sexual
abuse that will give the victim the highest degree of popularity while the
offence will go unquestioned and the culprit walking around only to scheme the
next target.
A
report by the International Women Health Coalition, New York stated that 45% of
women who first had sexual intercourse before age 15 said they were coerced. As
stated in the report, the percentage of coercion reduces as age increases. In
order words, girls below fifteen suffers a great deal of sexual abuse especially
those from humble background who grew up in a face-to-face apartment where
mothers most often are too busy to watch after the poor little girls, such
girls more often than not, are threatened by human predators and as result,
they live with their awakened appetite for sex and this only becomes untamed a
short while after.
On
a personal note, a little research was conducted with ten (10) acquaintances that
have similar trait of promiscuity. Questions were asked why they cannot cope
without being sexually active in three days; here is what they said: “It is
been enjoyed over time and living without it will be a great struggle and
almost impossible”. If you also want to find out if this is true or a fallacy, you
can also do a mini research; think of friends who are “hyper active” and ask
questions, you will be surprised at what you will find out.
One
of the respondents said “How do you expect me to cope without sex when I have
been having sex since primary one and I have been keeping girl friends from
primary three, believe me it is not possible” Another said “I have been fucking
since I was eight (8) years old”. Another respondent said she has been having
sex at the age of six (6) with her uncle who lived with them when she was very
much younger. Three said it started with their houseboy at age four, for two;
it was a class mate in primary five who usually hide in the school toilet. For
one it started with her brothers.
Surprisingly
none of my respondent reported to anyone but all kept it a secret and started
seeking for more when the abuser relocated or died. Such girls and even boys grew
up to become promiscuous young women (ladies) and unfaithful wives/husbands. To
worsen the case, none of them indulged in protected sex afterwards and will
never go for an HIV text as confessed.
Our
judicial arm of government has not done impressively well enough in this area;
yes there are laws but the enforcement can be improved upon. The larger
population of Nigeria is ignorant of the various gender based violence laws and
in situations where they are known and understood, the enforcement is said to
be complicated. A case of an abuse can remain in court for years while the
abused that is already emotionally and psychologically affected will have to
live with a degree of stigmatization from neighbours and sometimes the media.
She is not alone in the stigma; her household will also suffer the shame.
Some
persons are tired of reading newspapers at the height of abuse reported each
day with no post report ever again saying the culprit has been brought to book.
Until every stakeholder put all hands on deck to address this, HIV may remain a
societal challenge.
Here
is a few report for the sake of citing home examples: The Nation newspaper of
July 17th 2011 reported a case of a sixty five (65) years old
soldier who sexually abused his 11years old daughter and his wife’s niece for a
whole year, page 10 of the same paper of June 3, 2011 also reported the case of
an ex-convict who allegedly raped a five year old orphan here in Ado-Ekiti,
Ekiti State. We have heard a thousand and one cases of such of which nobody is really
doing anything to save the lives of our daughters; a lot of girls due to stigma
and shame do not report their case more so that the reported ones get no
justice.
As
stated earlier, the case might be in the court for years. Pain staking effort
is being taken to have access to a report on the number of persons in prison today
for alleged sexual abuse; if any exist.
How
do we even describe the situation where the law enforcement officers are the
ones responsible for assaulting girls and women? On 25th of May, 2011 page 6 of
the Nation newspaper again reported a case of a policeman who impregnated a 12
year girl (Orphan). The JSS 1 girl who was reportedly impregnated by the
policeman here in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State Capital; the police man was said to
have raped the girl twice and threatened to deal with her if she tells anyone,
imagine how the sexuality of such girl have been early awaken and grossly
abused, this has led the poor girl to premature, unplanned and unsafe
motherhood. There’re thousands and millions of girls out there who have become
preys to these unthinkable predators and sad enough a larger percent of them
are not talking to anyone about it, some have been infected with HIV in the
process, others like that 12 year old girl have gotten pregnant and that has
posed a great challenge on their health because a 12year old body is not
matured enough to carry a baby and quite a number have suffered complications
such as severe anemia, growth retardation, obstructed labour, Vesico Vaginal Fistula
(VVF) etc, such girl may even drop out of school completely.
In
a society where sexual abuse, assault, coercion etc go unpunished, no matter
how much we spend on policy documents, training, summit, projects, etc, to cub
HIV/AIDS, we may end moving round a circle.
Indeed
applaud should go the state government for the latest development put in place
to address these issues- The child right law, the establishment of the family
court where cases like this can be hear, the gender-based violence bill, the
gender policy to mention a few, these is commendable but our plea again goes every
stakeholder especially the judicial arm of government, we score high in
developing policies and laws but pretty weak in implementing them. Let everyone
stand to defend and protect the right of girls and women against all forms of
abuse and we will be taking a right step in the right direction to cub HIV/AIDS
as a society, a state and a country. An HIV free generation is possible but it
begins with you.
By: Aladejare Abimbola
Executive Director,
The New Generation Girls and Women Development
Initiative (NIGAWD)
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