A teenage victim of sexual violence goes to the police to seek justice, but her journey takes a different twist when she meets a group of police officers who make her feel like the offender rather than the victim.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98TgAE1kADo&t=55s
Victims of sexual violence are often let down by the criminal justice system. The first of many obstacles most of them face is reporting the sexual assault to the police. This video captures the experiences of some victims whose attempts to report their cases were not treated with empathy, professionalism, and discretion.
Sexual assault is notoriously underreported in Nigeria and there is an urgent need to discuss and rectify these issues. It is my hope that this message gets the attention of the right authorities and that we all make adjustments where necessary to create a safer society.
This short film was produced by Next Page Productions with support from UNFPA Nigeria.
The prevalence of sexual harassment of female students in tertiary institutions is worrisome. Many students are threatened with exam failure or other disturbing consequences if they refuse to succumb. In this short film, we attempt to capture a scenario of how a young girl was able to get out of the trap of harassment.
Sexual harassment thrives when perpetrators are able to subject their victims into silence. I would like to say to every young girl who might be experiencing this in one form or the other – you have a voice, and it is time to use it!
In the first episode of the #HeyWomanSeries, we attempt to draw attention to this problem. Watch the short film and let’s have a conversation about your thoughts in the comment section.
Sexual and gender-based violence has multiple expressions. While girls and women are more likely to fall victim, men experience it too. Some victims seek help and survive the abuse, but many are not so lucky. It can impact anyone regardless of their geographical location, socio-economic background, race, religion, sexuality, or gender identity.
I was inspired to create the #HeyWomanSeries to tell the stories from different perspectives. As a filmmaker, I’ve always believed the transformative power of multimedia to inform and inspire and I hope these short films do just that.
Every video showcases different outcomes people often have when they speak out or remain silent in the face of sexual and gender-based violence. It is my hope that as we examine these different, we find roles we can all play in curbing this scourge.
This project was supported by UNFPA Nigeria. Watch them on NextPageTV Youtube.
As part of the activities for the 2021 Women’s Month, the Pan African Film & Arts Festival is currently streaming Hey Woman.
I’m extremely grateful for the awesome feedback and attention this monologue has received since its lunch.
Supported by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA Nigeria), Hey Woman is a captivating monologue which creatively addresses the various distressing thoughts that cripple a woman’s mind in the face of abuse and oppression. It is an anthem of encouragement and unity among women and men.
For more information, visit Pan African Film Festival on Instagram or find out more on their website.
A beautiful thing happens when people unite for a common cause. We harness the power of our unique strengths and tap into immense possibilities.
On this special International Women’s Day, I’m calling on everyone to raise our voices against the scourge of sexual and gender-based violence. The impact affects us all – women, men, children, the society. We cannot continue to sit on the sidelines. If we don’t confront this harmful cycle, we would be left with a wounded society.
I created this anthem of encouragement, sisterhood and unity among men and women as a wakeup call to us all. What hurts one, hurts all. The time to act is now! It is up to you and I to unite against all forms of inequality and gender-based violence by saying enough is enough!
In furthering my environmental activism cause, I’ve recently joined an unrivaled portfolio of celebrity ambassadors at WildAid to help raise public awareness of the impacts of illegal wildlife trade in Africa. The focus this time around is on wildlife conservation and efforts to reduce climate change impacts.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to pass on the message of preserving the incredible species that live in our natural world. By conserving wildlife, we’re ensuring that future generations can enjoy a healthy and functional ecosystem. I’m proud to be joining an organization that is not only thinking of solutions to benefit us now, but for the future.”
WildAid works to reduce global consumption of wildlife products and to increase local support for conservation efforts. The organization also works with governments and partners to protect fragile marine reserves from illegal fishing and shark finning, to enhance public and political will for anti-poaching efforts, and to reduce climate change impacts.
WildAid has a global network of ambassadors, partners, supporters and contributors all working to end the illegal wildlife trade in our lifetimes.
As we draw closer to the festive season, I’m encouraging increased recycling of plastic waste which happens to be an incredibly significant cause of environmental and health hazards in our communities.
With more than 32 million metric tonnes of waste generated in Nigeria annually, and a disturbing habit of improper disposal of this waste, there is an urgent need to address this problem. As a strong advocate for proper environmental protection, I’m encouraging Nigerians to embrace recycling as a means of turning bottles, packaging and other post consumer packaging waste into new products. We can prevent ourselves from harming our environment and needlessly overfilling our landfills by simply giving up our plastic waste for recycling.
The Christmas holiday season is usually characterized by increased generation of waste especially plastic waste across the country. From individually packaged food servings to beverage bottles, more plastic waste is generated during this season than ever before. In this season, I hope people lean more towards recycling as a means of proper disposal of plastic waste.
In addition to the benefits of protecting our environment, recycling plastics helps us conserve natural resources and creates new economic opportunities for our population. For easier participation, interested residents are encouraged to register with a recycling venture near you or take the plastic waste to a drop-off site within your community.
As consumers, we play a more critical role than we can imagine. Recycling makes a huge difference to our environment, our quality of life, and our country’s future.
Hello Amazonians and Warlords, I’ve recently been appointed as National OPS-WASH Ambassador by the Honourable Minister of Water Resources. Below is a press statement on the appointment from my media team:
Stephanie Linus has been recognized for her role in inspiring improved personal and community hygiene with an appointment from the Federal Government as the National OPS-WASH Ambassador. She was appointed on Thursday, 24th September by the Honourable Minster of Water Resources Engr. Suleiman H. Adamu at a special decoration ceremony in Abuja. This appointment is the highest form of recognition given by OPS-WASH (Organized Private Sector in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) to any member of the private sector.
In his address, Engr. Adamu charged Mrs Linus to inspire behavioral change among Nigerians for people to take responsibility for their environment in her role as OPS-WASH Ambassador. While applauding her efforts with the “Hygiene First campaign, he also implored her and her team to map out different activities that would encourage environmental sustainability across the nation.
Also present at the ceremony was Dr Nicholas Igwe, the National coordinator for OPS-WASH. The premise of OPS-WASH is based on multi-stakeholder collaboration. He thus expressed excitement at the involvement of the entertainment industry in the WASH sector towards creating behavioral change.
As the OPS- WASH Ambassador, Mrs Linus promised that she will use her role to challenge Nigerians to make good hygiene a culture, as well as inspire citizen participation and responsibility. This appointment comes as a public sector recognition of the Hygiene First campaign which she launched in May 2020.
OPS-WASH (Organised Private Sector in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is an umbrella body for private sector collaboration and multi-stakeholder innovation. It was inaugurated by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources with a goal to end open defecation in Nigeria by 2025 and alleviate other water-related challenges in Nigeria.
Every year typically has a few defining moments, but 2020 has been one for the history books.
From the way the pandemic has exposed the failures of our social system, to the #BlackLivesMatter protests that shook the world, to the plans we’ve made and had to ditch, and much more – there have been so many challenges and obstacles that life has thrown at us.
Life as we know it came to a full stop due to the coronavirus pandemic. But guess what? It’s not over yet!
God has a way of bringing diamond out of the rough and He can turn any difficult situation into a miracle. As we step into a new month and the third part of 2020, I want to encourage you to stay positive and reach for your dreams with renewed zeal. Anything is possible and God still has lots of surprises for you this year.
I wish you a great new month and the best of the rest of 2020.
Eid Mubarak to all our Muslim readers, from all of us at Stephanie Daily.
As we celebrate this season, may all the joys of life be showered on you and your loved ones. Sending you many loving wishes, joy and peace for you today to bring much happiness your way.
