Eniola Adepoju
Fayemi
Ms. Funke Fayemi is the Chairperson of Report Women
Net (ReWoN). She’s Fellow of the Journalist to Journalist, USA, a Tobacco
Fellow of Health-E Online News, South Africa, and a member, International
Broadcasting Association, London.
Fayemi, who has earned a name in the media industry,
as an advocate on issues that have to do with women and girls, said challenges
delimiting women from attaining their full potentials, especially in work
places, were surmountable.
She explained that the secret to success and
attaining key positions for women was empowerment. She also revealed that women
will be sure to encounter challenges as they seek for the seemingly
unattainable positions in different sector, they should; however, see those
challenges as hurdles to climb over.
Using herself as a case study, Fayemi said that
while struggling to develop herself to the woman she’s today, she encountered
series of challenges.
She noted: “A self-determined woman will definitely
come across obstacles that will her want to make her to pull back, especially
in the media terrain. In this terrain, lots of men see women as threats because
women are vocal and intelligent. I started my job as a lady that was
determined. I told myself that I was going to make a career of journalism, no
matter the challenge. I told myself that I was going to make a difference. The
first thing I noticed on the job was that some ladies were not allowed to go on
assignments, and some beat were not given to them because management thinks
such beats would be too tasking for them. I put myself forward; I said I wanted
to know everything about the job, wanted to cover events at night. I wanted to
be on the beat that men were, and I wanted to see how it was. Today, I have no
regret because those are the things working for me now.”
She that journalism as a career might not be
lucrative, she, however, enjoys it. Fayemi, who is a radio journalist and had
nicked several awards, further stated: “Yes, I put myself forward and I
thoroughly enjoyed myself and job. It was what opened my eyes to how people
produced radio programmes that are different from others. Yes, I covered an
event one night, the event was on HIV/AIDS, it was the annual event of
journalist against HIV/AIDS and it turned out to be a
coverage that earned me an award. All my senior colleagues were not ready to
go, and I volunteered to go and cover it. But by covering it, it opened my eyes
to many things. Another challenge I would say I encountered was something
called favouritism; some colleagues were promoted and I wasn’t. It was a way of
making some to be senior to others, but my philosophy of life is you’ll get to
where ever you will get to, as far as you’re dedicated. The challenges wanted
to draw me back at that time, but I said no. Those challenges made me stronger.
You must be a determined woman, no matter the obstacle you face on the job. At
a time, I was so pushed to the wall that I wanted to change. I was denied where others were allowed to
move freely, but all those things always made me to get more determined. I kept
on attending training and I kept on offering myself to be better, and today it has
really paid off.”
According to Fayemi, Nigeria is a country that has
about 50 per cent of women when it comes to its population, but it has been
discovered that most ladies are not able to get to decision making positions
because many of them are not empowered.
She said: “Empowerment is something that opens your
eyes to the right values, to know what you are capable of. Women empowerment
makes you to know your worth, and how far you can go in life if you develop yourself.
Women empowerment means, adding values, and realising their potentials, in
order for them to attain great height in their chosen careers or dreams. It’s
something that makes a woman independent, strong and willing to go extra mile
to break limit and do extraordinary things. It gives a woman voice.”
She explained that empowerment could be seen in
different ways; maybe in terms of how to trade, carry out business and acquire
skills that can serve as a source of income. “It can also be in terms of
intellectual capability, things that can make her to be a leader and broaden
her knowledge on managerial skills. It’s also a situation that can give total independence
to a woman, letting her know she has a voice, and how that voice can be heard.”
She also mentioned: “Some women are naturally born
to understand that they cannot stay where they are, so they will want to
develop themselves. A woman has to push herself, to say yes, she can do it! She
can be equal to the task ahead, irrespective of her gender, ethnicity and religion.
The moment a woman is empowered, she begins to realise her self-worth, which
then gives her the ability to make right choices and decisions. A woman, who is
not empowered, will not even know her right. Empowerment for the female gender
is important, especially in a nation like Nigeria, were the girl-child’s
education in some parts of Nigeria is still lagging behind. In a country, where
even if educated, you’re not seen as equal to your male colleagues.”
Fayemi advised women to be intrepid and develop
themselves, thereby developing their self-esteem. She argued that women in
Nigeria are not yet where they ought to be.
Why
women are more victims of domestic violence
Peter Sonibare
Anytime Roselyn disagrees with her husband, it
usually earns her a beating. In the past eight years that she has lived with
him, Roselyn had been beaten more times than she could count. During these
beatings, her young son was always a witness. Although there were betraying
indicators to his aggressive nature, she had believed he would change after
they got married. He didn’t.
According to the sunnewsonline.com, Roselyn
eventually had to run for her life. This is the ordeal most married women face
in their marriages in Nigeria; the reality of being turned into a punch-bag by
their husbands inspire of their initial professed love.
Domestic violence is predominant in Nigeria as well
as other parts of Africa. It’s a deep cultural belief, and acceptable that a
husband or man can discipline his wife or partner. Women are mostly the victims
of domestic violence because most men see them as weak and inferior, which lead
to several acts of violence ranging from physical to mental and emotional
abuses. In this reality of most women, men are the assailant, while women are
the victims.
Domestic violence against men tends to go
unrecognised since men are less likely to file a domestic violence report
because of embarrassment, lack of support services and the fear of being
ridiculed. Men are the least considered to face domestic violence because
people see them as strong and powerful.
In some cases, men also face this violence as seen
in the case between Ibe and his wife Joy. The enraged wife was said to have
doused Ibe with hot water while he was having his breakfast. Joy attacked her
husband with hot water because he asked her whereabouts the previous night.
Battery, beatings, torture, acid baths, rape, and
consequently death, are incidents of domestic violence in Nigeria. Domestic
violence and intimate partner violence are one of the issues people face in the
hands of persons that claimed to love them. Such brutal acts of violence or
abuse in the home is under reported, and swallowed, especially when it involves
the other partner in the relationship, being a child, husband or wife, for the
sake of such acts being considered as a stigma when reported to law enforcement
agents. Cases such as rape are hardly reported for obvious reasons, and the
offenders go Scot- free instead of facing the law. Community elders and
relations often times plead that the perpetrator should be forgiven, while the
victims bear the psychological trauma and physical scars.
The Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner
for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), in a media parley organised to
review activities of the State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT),
said the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had received 10,007
reported cases of domestic violence from May 2019 to August 26, 2021. He said
that the cases included sexual violence perpetrated against adults and children
within the state. Onigbanjo further said 2,980 children experienced emotional
abuse and exposure to domestic violence in homes.
He pointed out the achievements of the Ministry of
Justice stem from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), which has
secured over 365 convictions for various sexual offences, including rape,
defilement, and sexual assault by penetration, and sexual assault.
In the breakdown of the cases, he said: “415
domestic violence, 177 rape, 255 attempt to commit rape, sexual assault, 246
sexual assault by penetration, threat, 877 others, separation, not taking
responsibilities of children, neglect, custody of the child, non-GBV and so on,
436 child abuse, physical assault, 271 defilement cases, 13 defilement by minor
to minor, 454 child labour, abduction neglect, others, 148 sexual harassment,
molestation case.”
The 2008 Nigeria Demography and Health Scheme (NDHS)
did a study to view the acceptability of Domestic violence and wife beating in
Nigeria. They put forward five sceneries and asked both men and women. With
women, there were trends found in viewing wife beating as more acceptable. It
was viewed as more acceptable in rural areas, among married versus unmarried
women, uneducated women and poor women. The reason most viewed as justified for
beating was going out without telling the husband. The relationships were about
the same for men.
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