Ni'matu Shehu
14 March 2008
opinion
March 8, 2008, Nigeria joined many countries of the world and the United Nations (UN) to celebrate the International Women's Day (IWD) with the theme "Investing in Women and Girls"..
The IWD celebration began on 8 March in 1975, during International Women's Year. Two years later, precisely in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by member states, in accordance with their historical and national traditions. In adopting its resolution, the General Assembly recognized the role of women in peace efforts and development thus urged support for the women folk as well as an end to various forms of discrimination suffer by them.
As an international event, the IWD has assumed a new global dimension for women in developed and developing countries alike. The growing international women's movement, which has been strengthened by four global United Nations women's conferences, has made the commemoration a rallying point for coordinated efforts of women with different cultural and political backgrounds to come together to demand for their political and economic rights.
A day women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is an occasion for reflecting on past struggles and accomplishments, and for looking ahead to the untapped potentials and opportunities that await future generations of women.
United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has severally in its report recognized the people (men and women) as the real wealth of the nation. They have further stated that genuine development cannot be achieved when 50% of the world's population does not have direct access to the wealth of nations. Former United Nations Secretary General Mr. Koffi Annan in 1995 stated, "Women if not engendered would be endangered". Gender equality is central to realizing the Millennium agenda, which risks failure without the full participation of all members of society. The basic objective of any meaningful development is to create enabling environment for people to enjoy long healthy, creative lives. Without adequate financing for gender concerns, none of these can be achieved.
Over the years, the UN and its technical agencies have promoted the participation of women as equal partners with men in achieving sustainable development, peace, security, and full respect for human rights.
Nigerian women through the civil society organisa-tions has participated in the struggle to end violence against women and has continue to promote the view that the empowerment of women must be a central feature in efforts to address social, economic and political challenges across the globe.
Nigeria like other African countries has made efforts to promote gender equality and women empowerment by attesting to several regional and international commitments including: the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2000, and the Home grown National Gender Policy 2006, all which emphasized the inclusiveness of women and the recognition of their potentials and activities in all aspect of life of any growing economy. The government of Nigeria at different fora voluntarily pledged to follow the provisions as stated in these documents.
However due to lack of political will to invest in gender programmes and initiatives the public finance system often exclude the needs of the people. The analysis of government policies, National budgetary Plan, expenditure and implementation processes grossly under represent critical gender needs and concerns. As a result, the country's economic strategies since independence have failed to benefit in large terms women and girls. The implication is the continued underdevelopment of Nigeria 47 years after independence.
According to statistics made available by an International NGO, Oxfam GB, maternal mortality in Nigeria is one of the highest in the world with an estimated 1000 deaths per100, 000 live births. Rural areas and the northern regions are worse that the national average. This means that each year about 60,000 Nigerian women of reproductive age do not survive pregnancy or childbirth. Between now and the target date for achieving the MDGs, approximately 500,000 Nigerian women and girls will die in childbirth or pregnancy. The economic and social costs of this failure to value women's lives are inestimable.
Despite making up 49.7% of the population with a literacy level of 47%, women have less than 15% representation in governance. Out of the 400-selected representative at the March 2005 political reform conference, only 30 were women. Of 109 senators in the upper legislative house, only three are women. In the House of Representatives, out of the 360 members there are only 23 women.
At the state level, 2003 - 2007, only 38 women representatives were in the 36 Houses of Assembly out of 990 seats in the various State Assemblies. At the local level, there were only nine female chairpersons out of 774 Local Government Councils in the country, five female Ambassadors out of 86, no female Governor out of 36,and two female deputy governors. Until recently, there were only six female ministers, and nine female presidential assistants.
More than 50% of Nigerian women live below poverty level of one dollar per day, despite accounting for about 70% of the agricultural labour force. They contribute up to 80% of the total food production in the country, but they do not own or control the resources (land, capital etc) in this sector.
Although Article 43 of the Nigerian Constitution guarantees every Nigerian citizen the right to acquire and own immovable property any where in the country, available records show that over 90% of registered land and property are owned by men (women's access to land is usually through matrimonial or parental affiliation to men),
The subordination of women and domestic violence shows that estimate of abused women is 7.0% per year and the majority (51.6%) of victims were pregnant assaulted by their husbands, and at least one out of every three women is likely to be beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Through the practice of prenatal sex selection, countless others are denied the right even to exist.
Women's capacity to seek legal redress for violation of their rights is significantly hampered by social pressure or stigma, 24%; and poor resources, 46%; lack of access to courts and counsels offering pro-bono services, 23%,
Of the estimated 7.3 million Nigerian primary school-aged children who are not in school, 4.3 million (representing 62%) are girls.
Lack of access to resources, low level of literacy and the violent nature of politics in Nigeria are some of the reasons attributed to women's low representation and lack of a critical mass of women representatives.
Also, unemployment, limited access to education, inadequate housing, food, health care, safe and healthy environment, clean water, the dual burden of domestic task and professional obligation, ignorance and lack of access to information have been blamed for much of the other challenges of women.
To bring these ugly pictures home and make a case for urgent redress, the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs in collaboration with Oxfam GB, and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) on March 8 organised a symposium on the theme for this year's IWD celebration.
In his message at the occasion, the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, said Governments of all nations agreed at the 2005 World Summit that "progress for women is progress for all". After a 10-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, it was revealed that there is a serious gap between policy and practice in many of these countries. He blamed the failure on a lack of political will, lack of resources and insufficient budgetary allocations.
He noted that the failure undermines the interventions organized for gender equality and women's empowerment thus holding back efforts to reach all the Millennium Development Goals.
"As we know from long and indisputable experience, investing in women and girls has a multiplier effect on productivity and sustained economic growth", Banki Moon said.
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