Founder, Live Abundantly Empowerment Initiative, Dr. Ama Onyerinma, talks about ways to check sexual abuse of the girl-child with YINKA BADEJO
Defilement of the girl child appears to be on the increase in Nigeria. What do you think are the causes and ways to curb it?
There are many reasons why people rape. It may be because of some psychological or neurological issues. Boys and girls are being raped, but the rate at which girls are being violated is much higher. Boys are being violated but it is not being reported at the same rate at which girls are being violated. There are neurological reasons why people see children; are drawn to them sexually; and violate them. Frustration can cause an individual to violate a girl or wife. We have to educate people and let them know that this kind of violation infringes on peoples’ human rights. We need systematic precautions to punish offenders. It is one thing to have a policy and another thing to implement them. Look at the Falomo children’s case. The children in that family assaulted other children but nothing was done about it. When children grow up to be adults and this illness is not addressed at tender ages, you are going to end up with adults who violate women.
We have to change the mentality of how we view women; they are not merely sexual objects and should be treated as equals. There is a shock therapy to help the perpetrator know what is appropriate from what is not. People talk about castration but I do not see this as a solution because it does not diminish the appeal or the attraction to that set of people because it is neurological. Castration only affects the libido but not the thinking of the individual.
People need to understand the meaning of rape because if they do, they would hopefully think twice about committing such act. Education is crucial in curbing rape as it makes people become aware of the laws and punishment for it. The consequences should match the crime. The jail term also in the country for rapists is not enough to dissuade others from committing the act.
If the jail term for incest is seven years; then, if the victim is a child then, after the seven years and the perpetrator is released, the victim is still going to be a child. There must also be a public record or sex offender registry that would be kept in the news for public view. This would also dissuade individuals from committing such act, as no one would employ or want anything to do with a rapist or sex offender.
Do you think the government is doing enough to protect women and children against domestic violence and other forms of abuse?
We have laws and laws are on paper but to what extent do we actually reinforce the laws. To what extent do we reinforce people’s human rights? Is it because people do not know that they have rights or is it because no one is paying attention to the violation of the rights?
Some of these laws do not really serve the women and children because if I report to the police about violence in the home, the family would tell me to drop the case to avoid soiling their name and honour. We have women who know they are being violated but where do they go as their husbands are the breadwinners of the family, so they think there is nothing they can do. The government needs to provide a social system that would make it possible to report these incidents and know that even after they report them, they are still protected.
There is more that we can do as a nation and it starts from citizens requiring and demanding that the rights of all should be honoured and that the laws should be obeyed and if these laws are violated, regardless of who you are in society, there should be punishment. To what extent are protection policies implemented? Take for instance the child’s rights, not many states have approved and implemented child’s rights. As a nation, we have policies, but states have to adopt them. Lagos State is very good at adopting these policies and pushes for child rights, but it is just one state out of a nation of 36 states. There are bills in place against domestic violence but not all states have adopted them. This means that there is a disparity in information that is available and how the laws and policies are emphasised.
Society as a whole has to get rid of stigmatising people who have been sexually violated and stiffer punishments should be given to the perpetrators. The police have gender units where people can report these violations but there is a need for public awareness and that is what we are trying to do. The punishment for incest is far lesser than the punishment for a stranger who violates a child. I believe the punishment should be the same or even more.
What is your organisation doing to address girl-child education, especially orphans at internally displaced persons’ camps in the country?
This organisation is for women and children and within these framework, we have girls. We strive to educate all children, so, you would not really see a symposium that is geared towards girls; it would be for both gender. In terms of what we do for girls, especially the ones at the IDPs’ camps, we are hoping in a few months, we would visit the camps and see what we can do for them. What they need more than anything is compassion and for them to know that they are acknowledged and that they exist. They are going through some incredibly harsh realities and it is not just for us as an organisation to address but for the government and society to recognise that we all play a role in the maintenance of human rights. We also play a role in rectifying the violation of human rights.
Education is key, and one of the things we are hoping to do is starting a programme where we can empower and educate women through skill-based programmes where they can have short courses and learn skills that would enable them to start a business, learn and be employable. There is a huge disparity in Nigeria in terms of the literacy rate of women and men.
What does the organisation aim to achieve with the symposium tagged, ‘Live Abundantly Empowerment’?
Our goal as an organisation with the symposium is focused on secondary school pupils to give them a platform to hear from experts in this field on what is going on and to allow them hold a dialogue. We want them to be heard and encourage respectful intellectual property and when they leave, they go with information to share with their families and start discussions. That is how change starts in a society. We want a situation where you can talk openly, freely and be respected for how you feel. It is a fundamental human right. We want them to be active citizens and to participate in what is going on, not just to be passers-by. We want them to speak up when they notice something is not right. It is about encouraging awareness, advocacy and education and we do it once a year. We encourage people to be life-long learners.
I strongly believe we have to start from schoolchildren, particularly this generation. We call them the ‘Z’ generation, ranging from ages two to 19. They are called the ‘Z’ generation because studies show that there are behavioural changes as groups of people after every 25 years. They are very vocal and aware of what is going on around them. Some would say they are more aware because of the availability of social media, which enables them to know what is going on in their immediate environment and all over the world.
They learn at a rapid rate and want to be heard. At the symposium, there were speakers, but at the end of every speech, the children were allowed to interact with the speakers. We want the children to know that as a generation, they can make changes and those changes start now. We want to create a Nigeria that is inclusive of all, regardless of gender, social, economic standing and physiological differences.
What is your specific agenda against child abuse and human trafficking in Nigeria?
Live abundantly empowerment initiative, initiated in 2016, focuses on three key areas — violence against women and children; children who are marginalised by poverty and physiological differences as well as the empowerment of women through education. We pursue these missions through awareness, advocacy and education. Women are not sexual objects and should not be violated or trafficked for the benefit of others in Nigeria or abroad. When you talk about trafficking, you talk about what happens in Nigerian and abroad.
Every year, we have a theme we use to drive home the purpose and cause. This year, it is human rights privileges. We strongly believe it is important for people to know and understand their human rights so they can bring about the necessary change in society. There is this fundamental view that human rights is meant for a certain group of people. But we are all entitled to human rights by nature or virtue of being born. It is important for children to understand what human rights are, because when you violate human rights, that is when you would have the social ills that we see in society today like violence, human trafficking and negligence. All of these come from forgetting to honour the rights of others.
People should not be afraid to speak up against social vices because they have a right to do so. We can only do so much as an organisation but every person in society has a role to play also in upholding the integrity and respect of our citizens.
What challenges did your organisation face last year?
The year 2017 was our first year and as you know, there are usually bumps on the way but you learn, adjust and strive to always maintain the ethos of our organisation. It was a challenging year, but challenges make you grow. I am not one to sit on challenges because I overcome them as I move on. One has to view challenges as an opportunity for growth and development.
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