Stephanie Linus Daily

Tag: #WomenIssues

  • Why I Stand for Her!

    Many people do not understand why I am so passionate about Child Marriage and Gender related issues. I have been asked several times why I chose to do a film with a strong social message like ‘DRY’. We live in a society that tells women to keep quiet and accept whatever fate is meted to them. We shame women who speak out and even more pathetic is the fact that majority of such lash back comes from other women.

    Nothing can change if we refuse to question written and unwritten norms that continually put women at a disadvantage. Having realized from an early age, the power of the media inspiring social change and political change, I have resolved to lend my voice all for ‘her’. It is beyond joining the next hashtag bandwagon which mostly ridicule the real issues.

    “Her” is a girl like Halima, who is given out in marriage at an early age and deprived of her rights to education, and freedom. She is the lady who is denied a seat at the table because there is not room enough for women. She is the daughter who is denied rights to her father’s properties because well, she is a woman. She is vulnerable and often times unheard.

    These are the real issues, and it is high time we understood that standing for her is standing for all. 

    My greatest desire is to live in a world that is fairer, safer and more conducive for “her” to live out her dreams.

     

  • #WomenIssues: Violence Against Women

    Violence Against Women is a monster in the society. There is no better way I could put it. This type of violence is gender-based, meaning that the acts of violence are committed against women expressly because they are women and this makes it even more sad.

    Not only is it a grave violation of human rights, its impact ranges from immediate to long-term multiple physical, sexual and mental consequences for women and girls, including death. It negatively affects women’s general well-being and prevents women from fully participating in society.

    Violence Against Women takes many forms including physical, sexual, emotional, and mental. Common forms of violence against women in Nigeria are rape, molestation, battering, and corporal punishment, among others. The list is endless.

    Let me remind you of these shocking statistics according to the World Health Organisation:

    • Recent global prevalence figures indicate that 35% of women worldwide have experienced either intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.
    • On average, 30% of women who have been in a relationship report that they have experienced some form of physical or sexual violence by their partner.
    • Globally, as many as 38% of murders of women are committed by an intimate partner.
    • Violence can result in physical, mental, sexual, reproductive health and other health problems, and may increase vulnerability to HIV.

    The sad situation is compounded by discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnicity, sexual identity, social status, class, and age. Many cultural practices and multiple forms of discrimination restrict women’s choices, increase their vulnerability to violence and make it even harder for women to obtain justice.

    This month is the women’s month, and very soon, we’d be marking the International Women’s Day. In the light of this, I want to point out that while there are many ways we can help curb this social menace, one important thing we should put more effort on is enlightenment. Our women need to be enlightened and educated about their rights. Many times, women stay in abusive relationships and endure different forms of violence because they feel they deserve it. This is totally wrong!

    Violence against women is a violation of human rights that cannot be justified by any political, religious, or cultural claim. Let’s spread the word today!

  • #WomenIssues: Human Trafficking/Sex Slavery

    The month of March is regarded worldwide as Women’s Month. This is primarily because the International Women’s Day falls on March 8th, a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. Also, in the United States of America, March is regarded as the Women’s History Month.

    This month therefore, I’d like us to discuss some important issues we face as women, with the hope of finding lasting solutions to them.

    Human trafficking affects women, men and children. But the primary victims worldwide are women and female children, the majority of whom are trafficked for sexual exploitation.

    Trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery. Sex trafficking is the exploitation of women and children, within national or across international borders, for the purpose of forced sex work. Adult women make up the largest group of sex trafficking victims, followed by female children.

    I could go on and on defining trafficking and sex slavery or giving statistics on them. But what I want to point out today is that women do not voluntarily put themselves in situations where they are exploited, beaten, raped and enslaved. Women do not traffic themselves. Criminals who recruit, buy and sell women and girls are the crucial intermediaries for delivering women into prostitution and other harmful practices. They use force, coercion, seduction, deception, and any other techniques that are effective in controlling the women and girls they are trading.

    My call today is to parents and guardians of female children. I know it can get really hard taking care of children. Many times, poverty and economic hardship doesn’t make the situation better as parents and guardians are forced to make decisions on behalf of the girl child that would have a huge negative impact on them. We need to protect that girl child, and when I say ‘we’, I don’t mean just the parents and guardians, but the entire nation.

    The harm of sexual exploitation extends from the individual to the community and to the nation. It might not have happened to someone you know, but we cannot ignore it. When a country permits sexual exploitation or trafficking to flourish, a certain portion of each generation of young women will be lost.

    It is a collective responsibility which we must all have a part of in our own little way. A small gift, a good advice, a short prayer, a little donation, a token of our love might be all it takes to rewrite someone’s destiny.

    Let’s protect the girl child.