By Fred Nwaozor
ON Saturday, November 25, the global community will commemorate the 2017 International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women. From November 25 – the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women to December 10 – the Human Rights Day, the sixteen (16) days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign is a time to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world.
Undoubtedly, no society in existence can be said to be complete if a woman is yet to be found in it, regardless of its nature or size. We can testify to this fact by considering how a woman came into the world. Of course, it is no longer news that having created man, God, the creator, thought it wise to form a woman from the rib of a man; this was so because God realized the benefit a woman would be to a man in any society/arena he finds himself.
A nuclear family precisely, which remains the smallest society on earth, can never strive successfully or attain to its anticipated height if a woman is missing. Realistically, a family cannot be formed in the first place if a woman is nowhere to be found. Having formed a family with the help of a woman, if she eventually dies, the affected family will live to suffer the vacuum her eternal demise has created. This implies that, psychologically, no widower can boast of being a happy man, especially a situation where the late wife left some kids behind.
Sometimes even when the widower has gotten married to another woman, provided the late wife left some indelible footprints on the sand of time, he shall remain in an unending emotional trauma, perhaps for eternity. In such situation, it is only his creator that can provide a lasting succour.
Ab initio, the womenfolk have been considered to constitute the integral part of the wider society. It is obvious that a social union cannot achieve an effective goal if the female members aren’t carried along. It might sound a bit controversial but the truth remains that nature had ordained woman to be the most attractive being in any society she belongs. This is the reason whenever a social group of people intends to pay a courtesy visit to a certain office holder, if they fail to include at least a female member among the delegates, the said outing might end up fruitless. This is so, because the presence of a woman has a natural tendency of arresting the heart of any man irrespective of who he is.
The political terrain is not left out. Any man occupying a political position would boldly testify that his beloved wife is the reason he is thriving assiduously and successfully. This implies that a woman is in charge of any leadership position, though her impact might seem invisible. The advisory role, both morally and otherwise, a woman plays in the life of her spouse who occupies a political post supersedes whatever counsel he receives from his appointees, friends, or well-wishers.
Considering the church, which is an institution as well as one of the oldest societies across the globe, there’s no need reiterating that its sustainability from the outset has been possible owing to the effort of the womenfolk. Noting that women are closer to the church, the easiest way to conscientize a married man, or any man whatsoever, toward the uplift of a church is through the woman in his life, since it is obvious that a woman has the key to a man’s heart.
Similarly, a woman has been proven to be more pious than a man. This is the reason she remains the engine room towards the uplift of the children’s spiritual lives. And it is worth noting that someone or a family whose spiritual life is porous is apparently living like a tree without a root.
Frankly, the role of a woman both in her immediate and wider society cannot be overemphasized. From the aforementioned facts, it can be pinpointed that without a woman, the children cannot be properly raised, be it morally, academically, religiously, and what have you; a man’s social, political and emotional life shall remain incapacitated and in shambles; above all, the affected society would remain seemingly stagnant and retrogressive in its day-to-day activity.
As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, it is our civic responsibility to ensure that women or girls whom are ubiquitously vulnerable owing to their nature are duly respected and safeguarded at all cost, with a view to strengthening our respective societies and the nation at large. We can contribute our individual quotas by acknowledging that women are the backbone of any society in existence.
It is estimated that about thirty-five per cent of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual violence by a non-partner at some points in their lives. On the other hand, some studies show that up to seventy per cent of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner. Either domestic or non-domestic, such form of violence has lingered in various countries, particularly Nigeria, thus making people insinuate that it is an acceptable tradition.
Violence against women is a human rights violation. It’s a consequence of discrimination against women both in law and in practice, and of persisting inequalities between men and women. Violence against women/girls arguably impedes progress in many areas of human endeavour including poverty eradication, curbing contagious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, strengthening peace and security, thereby crippling nation building.
Nwaozor writes from Owerri
The monster, which continued to be a global pandemic, is not inevitable. Prevention is possible and essential too. Everyone has a responsibility to prevent and end violence against women and girl children, starting by challenging the culture of discrimination that allows it to exist.
Legislation also has a vital role to play. There ought to be a stiff law to ensure that anyone at all levels found guilty of any violence against women/girls to include rape, battering, female genital mutilation, subjection into prostitution, or what have you, is duly brought to book. Violence like rape deserves life imprisonment, or any other form of capital punishment, because such ruthless act can lead to murder.
Parents and guardians on their part ought to equally dedicate reasonable time for their wards, particularly the female folks, to enable them know their left from right when they grow up. The various schools should as well revive their guidance and counselling section towards providing the needed guideline and caution for both the male and female students. The religious bodies are not left out in this crusade; they are expected to devote much time in letting the worshippers realize the dangers inherent in the menace.
Women and society are interwoven; if you remove either of them, the other one would be ostensibly meaningless. Needless to say that the former is as crucial as the latter, thus must be treated as such at all times.
Nwaozor writes from Owerri