Sexual Violence and Gender Inequalities

Hey there,
Welcome to February, the month of love. February gives us the opportunity to express love and it also gives us the chance to discuss issues like individuality and consent. In the UK, 1st to 7th February is slated Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week. This ushers in the 13th which is #InternationalCondomDay right before Valentine’s day. These significant events remind us that respecting people’s rights is paramount in our everyday lives. Respecting the rights of all persons irrespective of their genders include their choices and boundaries; this step is key in the direction to achieve gender equality.

The push for gender equality has transcended generations and become a strong movement across the globe. Countries around the world have committed to achieving the 17 sustainable development goals, these include attaining gender equality by 2030. Although strides have been made in putting issues pertaining to women and girls at the forefront of interventions globally, there is still a lot of work to be done.

Gender equality refers to the state of existence where people of all genders have equal rights and opportunities without any form of discrimination. It is beneficial to the development of any society; providing a safe and conducive environment for everyone to thrive. Gender inequalities refer to the exact opposite. In this case, stereotypes and gender roles/norms largely affect the human rights of women and girls in that society. The ripple effect of this is an increase in the violation of human rights which include early and forced child marriages, female genital mutilation and other harmful practices, unlawful arrests, sexual and gender based violence. Violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread violations of human rights. It is deeply rooted in gender inequalities and many women live with this horror throughout their lives.

When a girl is raped or groped, society would rather blame her for being at the wrong place and the wrong time in the wrong clothes. This in itself gives abusers the audacity to commit these crimes without question or consequences for their actions. This action validates sexual violence as normal and “one of those things” while promoting a culture of silence; shaming the victim and making excuses for the assaulter This plays out even in the justice system. For example, The Violence against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP Act) has been passed in Nigeria but state implementation is poor; this hinders survivors from getting justice and even speaking up. Another problem is how survivors are questioned in the most absurd ways (insinuating that she wanted to be raped or created the avenue to be violated). This has long-lasting effects on the survivor and other women who hear stories like this every day.

Also, though laws and policies criminalizing sexual violence exist, discrepancies in complementing laws pose a big problem E.g., the VAPP Act prohibits all forms of violence against persons and for the protection of women and child rights, particularly criminalizes rape, female genital mutilation (FGM), and physical assault. But under the Criminal Code Act of Nigeria, section 6 says it is legal for a man to rape his wife (this also exists in Tanzania, Syria, Egypt …). Also, Section 353 and 360 of the Criminal Code Act of Nigeria classifies assault on women and girls as a misdemeanor but classifies the same crime against men as a felony, thereby trivializing assault when the victim is a woman. Other atrocious laws include pardoning rape and abduction if the perpetrator marries his victim, lawful beating of a wife to correct her among others. These laws completely disregard the human rights of women/girls and reinforce the barriers gender equality aims to eliminate. Laws like those aforementioned must be repealed by the government and stronger laws that wholly protect women’s rights should be enacted with full implementation.

(To read more on these patriarchal laws by countries, click this thread by Amarachi Nickabugu)
 
The lack of comprehensive sexuality education in schools and evasion of “sex talk” by parents/guardians also contributes to this problem. From a young age, girls are taught to “keep themselves” but boys are encouraged to explore their sexuality. This already puts girls in vulnerable positions with their peers to start with. Some are silent about assault or do not even know they are being violated by their partners or family because of the lack of sexuality education at home. To tackle this, girls must be educated about their rights, bodily autonomy and not subjugated. If boys are taught to respect women’s rights and held responsible for their actions (especially by law), it would translate to a community where boundaries are respected.
To eliminate sexual and gender-based violence, we need all hands on deck. You too can play an active role in this fight; by speaking against the act, educating your social circle, advocating for better laws/policies including implementation, and respecting women’s rights.
 
#Sexualviolenceisnotokay
#NotoSGBV