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 abnormity 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 neigbours 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 17^th 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)