Nigeria: Voices Still Unheard
“Nkechi” was constantly raped, severely brutalized and battered by her loving’ husband. Her mother-in law always consented to this sort of treatment: with the help of her children, they verbally and fetishly threatened “Nkechi” with death through diabolical means or by the way of a car accident. Times “Nkechi”, who was stoically determined to make the best out of her home in Lagos, would report to work with neck braces, broken teeth and jaws, head injuries and the fear of being
burnt alive with kerosene if she continued to appear on T.V. while doing her broadcasting job at the ABS.
“Gbemisoke”, who is late now, was constantly beaten by her husband while the man had numerous affairs outside the home and also did not provide adequately for the family. The wife was the breadwinner of the home and the extended family of the husband and hers but was constantly “put-in-her place” by the husband to show he is the man . Times, she would report the matter to her relationship pastor and her parents who would forcibly send her home with a marriage is to be endured; suru lere”. The Pastor advised her to stay apart so as to have the matter solved but she returned home on the advice of her parents till she was beaten to death in the presence of their son who is a toddler.
The husband, upon trying to cover his tracks hung the woman on the ceiling fan and said to the police- when they came to investigate, “she committed suicide”. The police upon looking at her body declared that the injuries she sustained were enough to kill her not the hanging. If not for the boy who said, “Daddy beat mummy: mummy died”, the case would have been closed. The man was arrested.
These are a few of the cases which affect Nigerian women in Nigeria and Diaspora.
In Nigeria with its traditions- norms and practices, women are victimized and grossly marginalized. It is said that patience is a virtue and any woman who wants to stay under a man must apply that. Most elders in communities regard women as a commodity even though they have the human rights language entrenched in the constitution of Nigeria. All that is neglected.
In reference to human rights, it is pertinent to note that human rights are the FUNDAMENTAL MORAL RIGHTS of the person that are necessary for life with HUMAN DIGNITY {HUMAN RIGHTS IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS. DAVID P. FORSYTEH PG.3}. Furthermore, human right is a programme enunciated at Helsinki. It is the right to be free from governmental violations of the integrity of the person”, “the right to the fulfillment of such vital needs such as food, shelter, healthcare and education”, and “the right to enjoy civil and political liberties”, released Jan.1078 by U.S. State Department and urged on all nations. *Helsinki Agreement.
It is quite unfortunate that Nigeria only ratified this but has not had this implemented adequately. When there are cases of violence in the home mete-out to the women and children. Maybe in the case of father raping daughter and mother protests, or father prides himself with the function of beating up his wife, the woman is asked to endure based on the fact that the man is the head of the home, a crown on the woman’s head etc. Most times, the matter is viewed as a trivial issue which should be kept in the “private sphere and is shielded from outside from outside scrutiny”. Normally, a culture of silence is demanded from the woman because they are regarded as commodity which should be seen and not heard in the presence of men who are less in number than women in Nigeria. More so, if a woman speaks out on the fashion of violence mete-out to her by her husband and or his family, a stigma is attached to her than the perpetrator of such crimes. A case in point is Nkechi who separated from her husband to spare her life after various attacks, was jibed at by a woman who was a member of their town’s meeting about being destitute or living the life of a tramp based on the tales heard from the man side.
Violence, in whatever form, be it psychological, physical, verbal etc., is a human rights issue which is punishable by law. Violence is “repugnant to natural justice” When violence is mete-out to women it is gender based violence. The 1993 UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women defines it as any act of gender-based violence- that is, violence directed against a female because she is a woman or that affects women disproportionately- that results in, or seemingly results in physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life. (NIGERIA: UNHEARD VOICES-AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL / UN DECLARATION ON THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, PARA.1; CEDAW COMMITTEE, GENERAL RECOMMENDATION 19, VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN [11TH SESSION,{1992}, COMPLICATION OF GENERAL COMMENTS AND GENEARL RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED BY HUMAN RIGHTS TREATY BODIES. UN DOC HRIGEN1REV 1 AT 84 [1994], PARA: 6

ADOPTION, VIOLENCE AND CORRUPTION
Like in advanced countries, the procedures for the adoption of children are very strict and ultimately discouraging. Would-be parents of orphans are made to go through rigorous investigation before a child is given out and the colossal fee paid is accepted: the reason why many mothers and syndicate groups steal babies from hospital.
In Nigeria, it is quite unfortunate that due process is thrown to the winds and children are given away at the slight of a whim and or the show of money.
In the year 2006, a SOUTH AFRICAN couple who reside in the FCT Abuja, Nigeria, who supposedly have no children, adopted a toddler(female) to grow and groom. This couple is wealthy and presumably, that should turn around the fortune of the little orphan. Quite unfortunately, the opposite was the case. The husband of the lady began to rape the child. The matter was reported to a top EFCC official who interestingly and passionately involves herself and person in human rights cases involving women and female children. The EFCC (female) official was fired for her involvement. The South African lady refused to press charges and kicked against any interference by anyone especially the EFCC official and her NGO.
Corruption is a process where one dishonestly uses his position or power to his own advantage. It is a system which is morally bad,{has a bad moral influence} on the young and innocent mind. It also effectually endangers the system of governance when it permeates the federal parastatals. Regardless of the functions of the EFCC as far as it involved in quashing economic and financial crimes, it should have considered the plight of the victim and her official who deemed it appropriate to fight on her behalf instead of sacking the dear official. Every parastatals and organization plus company is supposed to work hand- in- glove with one another {regardless of the seeming chaos it might cause or their seeming differences} and assist victims not crucify literally through their actions. How does it seem to the reasoning mind that a woman was sacked just because she decided to investigate a case of child rape on an adopted orphan by her South African father and fight it? This is preposterous?! It is grossly unfortunate that with the VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN {PROHIBITION} BILL, a FEDERAL BILL and the Lagos States’ enactment of the DOMESTIC VIOLENCE and other RELATED MATTERS BILL, there has been no progress. The voices of those who are crying for a change in the treatment of the weaker sex in this country are still unheard.
It is grossly unfortunate that as the days go by and coming into the years, a lot of people in this country are becoming more and more dispassionate, unkind, unfeeling, very unremorseful and uncharitable towards their fellow citizens. The economic situation should not be an excuse neither should fear of the unknown. If one says the former is the cause then they should be prepared for more being that even if Nigeria were to improve there are certain people who would still live below $1. This is very true because the same is obtainable in the U.S.A.: there are places there that are worse than Ajegunle. The Bible states in the Old Testament that the poor, the widows {victimized} et al would never leave our dwellings.

POLICE INDIFFERENCE
The structures which have been set up its citizens grossly neglect them. Take for instance the Sosoliso plane crash carrying those children from Jesuit’. Their mothers decided to mourn them publicly and quietly but Sunday Ehindero {former I.G.} ordered that they be tear-gassed denying that formal permission was not taken. Whether permission was taken or not, women have the prerogative to mourn their lost ones, however they choose to.
Under the constitution, there are the:
1. Freedom of speech.
2. Freedom of movement.
3. Freedom of expression.
and under the Article 1 of the human rights convention the rights and freedom include:
1. The right not to subject to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment;
2. The right to liberty and security of person
3. The right to equal protection under the law.
I believe, rather strongly, these are an infringement on the rights of these ladies and their protests led by Prof. Jadesola Akande, a breach on the rule of law, their human rights and the constitution. I would put it firmly, that the police have been educated on these matters and have insulted the women by casting this form of aspersion at them especially while they grieved.
This also buttresses the point of indifference and inaction of the police towards women who report cases of rape to them. Most of the cases are swept under the carpet or the tables are turned against the victim. Some of these policemen {especially in the Niger-Delta region} even rape women and children before their families. Some can not speak due to the fear of being killed. So when cases of this nature are reported to the police, they are treated with levity, medical evidence disappears, people settle out of court, bribes are taken etc. this is corruption! As at now there are no human rights desks in all police stations and proposals for these have not been implemented.
But I believe, without much ado, there can be certain measures which should be employed. The federal government should take these steps:
a) Take a clear position that violence against women is unacceptable and undertake a thorough public education campaign on this issue. Just as it was done in Benin during the genital mutilation campaign.
b) Introduce measures to ensure that forced and underage marriages can not be conducted in future, and that women have fully and freely consented to marriage. A system of consistent registration of marriage and divorce must be established;
c) Ensure that all police stations have dedicated facilities for receiving, registering and investigating reports of violence in the family and violence against women, while ensuring that all police officers are trained to deal effectively and appropriately with victims of violent offences in a gender-sensitive manner and that brochures and posters about how women can report family violence are disseminated and posted at hospitals, churches, primary health care centres, mosques, pharmacies, community centres, courts , universities, primary and secondary schools, in buses, on taxis, media advertisements should go on about it non-stop and also on websites.
d) Ensure that all lawyers and primary healthcare practitioners, whether private or public, are given training in responding to violence in the family. And that appropriate emergency mechanisms exists.
e) Fund and support measures to enable all women to live free from violence, such as programmes of civic education, training and systems of support and protection for women who have been subjected to violence in the family.

THE STATE’S OBLIGATION
The state is obligate to protect the rights of her citizens should apply DUE DILIGENCE. This concept is used when assessing the accountability of governments for the acts of private individuals or other non-state actors. This principle describes the degree of effort that a state must undertake to ensure that human rights are respected by all in practice, thus making rights a reality. The state has a duty to put in place sufficient measures to prevent violation { by its officials} and abuses{by non-state actors} of human rights. Where a right has been violated or abused, the state has the duty to redress it as far as possible, and to provide appropriate remedy, with the inclusion of compensation where necessary.
The state has a DUTY TO RESPECT the human rights of women, for example, the state, via its state agents; have to refrain from directly or indirectly interfering with the rights of women. Thus where police or armed forces commit acts of violence against women, the DUTY TO RESPECT is breached. The state must take effective measures against other individuals or groups, private enterprises and corporate bodies that violate the integrity, freedom of action or other human rights of the individual.
The state should ensure that women are given the right to inherit land and property; legislation against rape should be taken and prosecution of rape as a war crime. {Advancing the human rights of women: using international human rights standards in domestic litigation- women and human rights in the Asia/Pacific Region: A Perspective from South Asia pg. 175}.
The state is not to treat domestic violence such as wife-beating, as a common private affair. It should be brought to t he court of law and be thoroughly prosecuted with the culprit convicted adequately.

THE U.N. AND COMMONWEALTH ORGANIZATIONS:
It is true that international conventions have to be implemented but they also have to be contextualized within national, regional and local specificity. Care has to be taken so that not only the letter of the conventions but the Spirit is maintained while legal strategies are formulated and implemented. {Ibid: Strategies of Law Reform in THE Indian Context. Pg.113}