Speak Wednesday

SPEAK WEDNESDAY – GENDER INEQUALITY IN GIRL CHILD EDUCATION

Gender inequality in education is a sociocultural bias that entails unequal participation of girls as their male counterparts in education. This is a national concern that has been continuously overlooked by the government.

The discriminatory treatment against girls who are most times burdened with household responsibilities, like cooking, cleaning, tending to the garden, fending for their siblings, etc has led to a great perception against the girl child education.

In some families, the girl child is sometimes engaged in child labour like helping her parents in trading to raise money for her brother’s education, while the girl is believed to be married off to another family, hence remains uneducated.

The factors causing gender equality against girls in education are illiteracy, poverty, poor infrastructure, discriminatory gender norms, child marriage, gender-based violence, and cultural harmful practices, among others.

In rural communities, the saying that a girl’s education ends in the kitchen is still upheld by some families who believe educating a girl is a waste of money. This is a traditional viewpoint regarding the education of girls in some places in Nigeria, yet, in this 21st century.

According to UNICEF, gender-equitable education systems empower girls and boys and promote the development of life skills – like self-management, communication, negotiation, and critical thinking that young people need to succeed. They close skills gaps that perpetuate pay gaps and build prosperity for entire countries.

Gender-equitable education systems can contribute to reductions in school-related gender-based violence and harmful practices, including child marriage and female genital mutilation.

To overcome barriers that are preventing girls from advancing equally with boys in education, the government should promote gender-responsive programs and a safe learning environment that prioritizes girls’ education. Also, teachers should be trained to be gender aware to prevent gender stereotypes and reduce gender bias in the classroom.

The girl child should be allowed the same opportunity as their male counterparts to complete their education to enable them to navigate and acclimatize to the fast-changing world. It is one of their basic fundamental rights, as children.

Speak Wednesday is an initiative of CFHI to address issues of gender-based violence and gender bias. Join us every Wednesday on all our social media platforms for more episodes.

#ChildEducation #ChildLabour #GenderInequality #SpeakWednesday

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SPEAK WEDNESDAY – PERIOD POVERTY AND POOR EDUCATION

Gender Based Violence, Gender Equality, Girl Education, Health, Menstrual Health and Hygiene, Reproductive Health, Sanitation, Speak Wednesday, Women, Women Education, Women's Rights / cfhinitiative

The backdrop in girls’ education due to lack of menstrual hygiene in Nigeria should no longer be gender issue, but of national concern.

The National Democracy and Health Survey in 2013 has shown that girls make up 60 per cent of the 110.5 million out-of-school children in Nigeria, and 1 in 10 African girls misses school due to their period, according to UNICEF. In order words, they could miss school for four days or more during which the period lasts, and since they cannot manage their period safely without a good sanitary product, such children are most likely to drop out of school in the long run. Moreso, the hike in menstrual products has left most Nigerian girls and young women with no choice but to use unclean napkins, tissue, leaves, newspapers, or nothing at all, during their menstruation.

The old African proverb says “educate a girl, educate a nation”. To curb this damaging menace caused by period poverty, the Nigerian government should borrow a Leaf from Kenya’s policy which introduced the right to free, sufficient and quality sanitary towels, and basic sanitation facilities for schoolgirls; treating access to sanitary pads as a basic human right. This and the total removal of tax on menstrual products will help to make the girl child stay in school during their monthly flow.

Like Michelle Obama rightly said, when girls are educated, their countries become stronger and more prosperous. It is time to embrace this fact and work towards creating a world where everyone irrespective of gender can thrive without limitations.

Speak Wednesday is an initiative of CFHI to address issues of gender-based violence and gender bias. Join us every Wednesday on all our social media platforms for more episodes.

#SpeakWednesday #MenstrualRightsAwareness #MenstrualHygiene #MenstrualEquality #GirlsInSchool #EquityAndJustice #MHDay2022 #WeAreCommitted
#reusablesanitarypad

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Gender Based Violence, Speak Wednesday / cfhinitiative

SPEAK STORY

Have you ever wondered why a lot of women and mothers, in particular, are forced to put up with the ills around them despite the harm it could cause or causes them???

In today’s Speak Wednesday we would talk about the inhumane condition a mother is forced to condone, if help is not forthcoming, this may be her fate for the rest of her life and her children.

CFHI has been privy to the knowledge of a mother of four girls (Name withheld) within the environs of Abuja who is married to a businessman for over 15 years. This mother who has had her own fair share of misfortune in life is forced to live with her husband who for most of their marriage sexually abuses his children (four daughters).

According to the mother, for as long as she can remember, her husband has been abusing their four daughters sexually, and all attempts to stop him have proven abortive. She claims to have reported these atrocities to the police on several occasions, but after the husband is apprehended, he is released afterwards when he bribes the police officials. In her own words, which is paraphrased “I no longer seek their help or anyone’s but have left all to fate to take its place in my life”.

This mother reportedly has sought the help of the elders in her hometown, has even travelled to her hometown for the elders to call her husband to order, instead, the intensity of his abuse increases every time she returns to Abuja.

One may ask why she wouldn’t just leave him. Truth is, on the occasions she had tried, she realized that the burden of fending for her children and herself was unbearable with utterly no means of livelihood and no financial support from anywhere.

This story is disheartening because this is just the case for so many other women out there. The cycle of abuse normally leaves women with no money and nowhere to go because oftentimes, they are fully dependent on men to provide for their every need. This is why the need for women to be financially literate so that they can stand for themselves when all odds are against them can never be overemphasized.

Over the years, CFHI has provided thousands of women small grants to start-up businesses that can make them financially independent. Join us every Wednesday on all our social media platforms for more episodes of Speak Wednesday.

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The Financial/Economic Challenges of Widowhood

Speak Wednesday, Women, Women Education / cfhinitiative

Widowhood, the death of a spouse is often considered one of the stressful events that can take place in a person’s life. Widowhood has been found to have a negative association with the financial well-being of women. When a woman loses their partner the burden of catering for the home becomes unbearable most especially in cases where the woman was a full-time housewife, comes from a cultural background where the properties of her husband are confiscated by the in-laws or where the woman is quite aged.

According to Sevak et al in the paper “The Economic Consequences of a Husband’s Death”, In the 1970s, 37 per cent of new widows became poor after widowhood. By the 1990s, this rate had fallen to between 12 per cent and 15 per cent. Nevertheless, widowhood remains an important risk factor for transition into poverty. Faced with the loss of resources in widowhood, women have only a few options available to improve their economic status”. This excerpt shows that indeed there is a financial burden associated with the loss of a partner.

According to the World Bank Organization, one in ten African women above the age of 14 is widowed, and six per cent are divorced. In Nigeria, about 1 per cent of all Nigerian men are widowers while 9 per cent of women are widows. Strikingly, while the share of widowers among men aged 75 and older is about 11 per cent, it is 77 per cent for women of the same age. In Nigeria, the socio-economic status of widows is incomparably stressful due to certain traditional barriers to assessing the land, capital, credit, employment, housing, and other means of livelihood. In other words, Widowhood, therefore, deprives women of homes, agricultural land and other assets. This often limits the ability of widows to become economically secure.

The poverty level of widows is exacerbated by factors of illiteracy and lack of education and training. Long-drawn out and rigid and expensive burial rites further compound the economic condition of widows (Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 2013). In certain parts of the country, it is observed that during the mourning period a widow is unable to engage in any economic venture nor carry out any personal work to earn an income. However, she is expected to bear the financial burden expected of widows to make an elaborate party for the outing ceremony after her mourning. These women often times are made to spend all they have left in shouldering this responsibility. This inevitably marks the beginning of a terrible financial crisis for the widow and her children.

For many widows in Nigeria, the implications of poverty include withdrawal of children from school and the adoption of coping strategies such as engaging in exploitative informal work, engaging the children in child labour and hawking, begging and sex work (Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 2013).

As a society, we need to be more intentional about alleviating the hardships of widows. This could range from advocating for policies that address systemic inequalities which enable women to support themselves in the face of marital dissolution. This could include reforms to credit markets, where women are particularly disadvantaged; ensuring equal ownership and inheritance rights for women. (World Bank Organization, 2018), encouraging qualitative female education at an early stage, enhancing women economic empowerment through enlightenment programs and vocational skills acquisition, particularly widows, for them to become self-reliant and cater for the needs of their immediate families.

Also, through advocacy and public health awareness campaigns, the enlightenment of the public about the plight of the widows should be intensified in order to eliminate the dehumanizing traditional practices to which Nigerian widows are often subjected.

Speak Wednesday is an initiative of Centre for Family Health Initiative (CFHI) to address issues around gender-based violence and gender bias. Join us every Wednesday on all our social media platforms for more interesting episodes.

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SPEAK WEDNESDAY

Child Trafficking, Gender Equality, Speak Wednesday / cfhinitiative

GIRL CHILD LABOUR

Girls play multiple roles in the household, society and the economy. They go to school, help with housework, work in factories, make friends, care for elder and younger family members and prepare themselves to take on the responsibilities of adulthood. Upholding the rights of the girl child has seen increased support through the nearly global adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as through the UN Millennium Development Goals target of increasing equality between girls’ and boys’ educational attainment. Though life for the girl child is steadily improving, many are still subjected to horrific practices. While child labour is an infringement of the rights of all children – boys and girls alike – girls often start working at an earlier age than boys, especially in the rural areas where most working children are found.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) defines Child labour as hazardous work, demands too many hours, or is performed by children who are too young. Child labour is one of the most monumental issues in Nigeria, a country with a developing economy, affecting a large portion of the country’s children up to age 17. A joint report issued in February by Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) along with several other organizations opine that more than half of Nigeria’s 79 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 are put to work, including in hazardous conditions and about 30% of child workers do not even receive compensation.

Furthermore, the 2020 International Labor Organisation report states that the main reasons for the emergence of girl child labour in countries like Nigeria are unhealthy family life and economic deprivation. Families strained by financial difficulties cannot cope with the increasing demands of their children and sometimes even fail to provide them with adequate nutrition. This appears to be the reason children look for their sources of income. In socially disadvantaged, alcoholic or morally bankrupt families, pecuniary challenges are often coupled with destructive dynamics in the relationships. These factors combine to spur children into the street, temporarily or permanently, leading them to a vagrant existence, required too early to make independent decisions. Economic hardships and family dysfunction can therefore be named as the main causes of child labour.

For a Girl child, the consequences of child labour are staggering because they oftentimes result in extreme bodily and mental harm, and even death. It can lead to slavery and sexual or economic exploitation. And in nearly every case, it cuts children off from schooling and health care, restricting their fundamental rights and threatening their futures. Trafficked children are often subjected to violence, abuse and other human rights violations. And some may be forced to break the law, while for most girls; the threat of sexual exploitation looms large.

Although there are a lot of social programs and established policies claiming to address child labour in Nigeria yet there are policy gaps that exist that hinder efforts to address child labour and lack of evidence to address all relevant worst forms of child labour (Bureau of International Labour Affairs, 2019). According to ILO (2020), the basis of the elimination of the worst forms of child labour within a relatively short time frame must be legislation, which keeps the total elimination of child labour as the ultimate goal of policy, but which explicitly identifies and prohibits the worst forms of child labour to be eliminated as a matter of priority. Such legislation must also provide adequate sanctions for violators and adequate compensation for victims, and be rigorously and impartially enforced.

For a country which has an alarming number of child labour, a review of the legal framework of child labour which should include pertinent issues surrounding the worst forms of child labour especially those relating to girls be encouraged. Also, mechanisms enforcing existing protections for children be created and strictly enforced with proper coordinating bodies carrying out their mandates as intended.

Speak Wednesday is an initiative of the Centre for Family Health Initiative (CFHI) to address issues around gender-based violence and gender bias. Join us every Wednesday on all our social media platforms for more interesting episodes.

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Health, HIV/AIDS, Speak Wednesday, Women / cfhinitiative

WOMEN AND GIRLS, HIV/AIDS

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) which can be transmitted through contact with infected blood, semen or vaginal fluids.

According to AVERT (2020), since the start of the global HIV epidemic, women in many regions have been disproportionately affected by HIV. Today, women constitute more than half of all people living with HIV, and AIDS-related illnesses remain the leading cause of death for women aged between 15 and 49. Young women (aged 15-24), and adolescent girls (aged 10-19) in particular, account for a disproportionate number of new HIV infections. In 2017, 7,000 adolescent girls and young women became HIV-positive. This is a far higher rate than new infections among young men, with young women twice as likely to acquire HIV as their male peers.

Also AVERT (2020) states that in sub-Saharan Africa, despite making up just 10% of the population, one out of every five new HIV infections happens among adolescent girls and young women. In the worse-affected countries, 80% of new HIV infections among adolescents are among girls, who are up to eight times more likely to be living with HIV than adolescent boys. It is estimated that around 50 adolescent girls die every day from AIDS-related illnesses. Nigeria has the second largest HIV epidemic in the world. Although HIV prevalence among adults is much less (1.3%) than other sub-Saharan African countries such as South Africa (19%) and Zambia (11.5%), the size of Nigeria’s population means 1.8 million people were living with HIV in 2019. According to United Nations AIDS (UNAIDS), Nigeria has the second largest HIV epidemic in the world and one of the highest rates of new infection in sub-Saharan Africa.

In the article “How does HIV/AIDS affect women” by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (2017), HIV disproportionately affects women and girls because of their unequal cultural, social and economic status in society. HIV is most often spread through sex. Women may be at greater risk of being infected with HIV during sexual contact than men are. This is because the fragile tissues of the female ex organ can tear slightly during sex and let the virus enter the body. (This is especially likely among girls under age 18.) Studies show that the female sex organ due its large surface is easily exposed to the virus, thus increasing risk of infection and most women around the world who have HIV were mostly infected through sex with a man.

Furthermore, unaccommodating attitudes towards sex outside of marriage and the restricted social autonomy of women and young girls can reduce their ability to access sexual health and HIV services. Other factors as opined by AVERT (2020) which have contributed to this disparity include; poverty, lack of access to education, gender-based violence, “sugar-daddy culture” and transactional sex, child marriage, etc. Intimate partner violence, inequitable laws and harmful traditional practices reinforce unequal power dynamics between men and women, with young women particularly disadvantaged. HIV is not only driven by gender inequality, but it also entrenches gender inequality, leaving women more vulnerable to its impact.

A call for new approaches to reducing HIV rates among women is highly encouraged at this stage. Firstly, more efforts should be geared towards a universal access to sexual and reproductive health for women and girls. Secondly, increased public awareness campaigns for gender equality that stigmatize violence and discrimination against women and girls and the use of female-controlled prevention methods should be encouraged.

However, CFHI through her HIV/AIDS based programs and its social media platforms has continually advocated and still continues to advocate for the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHRs) of women and girls whilst providing and catering to the special needs of women and girls with HIV/AIDS and Orphans and Vulnerable Children in the society.

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Health, Speak Wednesday / cfhinitiative

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FAMILY UNIT IN THE SOCIETY

A family is a basic unit of study in many medical and social science disciplines. Definitions of the family have varied from country to country, and also within the country all attempting to either include or exclude certain characteristics to better portray the universal concept. The UN however gives a simplified definition of the Family as “those members of the household who are related to a specified degree, through blood, adoption or marriage.” The family as an integrated and functional unit of society has for a considerable period of time captured the attention and imagination of researchers. Reflection of the interaction system between individual and family, family and society as well as the specific activities that meet certain needs of its members is what we refer to as the function of the family. The family as a social institution is organically connected with society, and therefore some functions directly related to the requirements of the society itself. (Elizabeth. S., 2018). A functional understanding of the family thus stresses how the family as a social institution helps make society possible. As such, the family performs several important functions.

Firstly, the family is the primary unit for socializing children. No society is possible without adequate socialization of its young. In most societies, the family is the major unit in which socialization happens. Parents, siblings, etc., all help socialize children from the time they are born. It is the character developed in the family that helps the child in becoming an important or responsible member of society. Psychologists opine that the absence of family affection has a serious impact on a child’s development and inadvertently the society’s development and way of life. Secondly, the household (economic) function of the family is also amongst the most important. It is aimed at satisfying its material needs (food, shelter, etc). The function contributes to the physical strengths and health preservation of all family group members. Thirdly, the family provides its members with a social identity. Children are born into their parents’ social class, race and ethnicity, religion, and so forth. Some children have advantages throughout life because of the social identity they acquire from their parents, while others face many obstacles because the social class or race/ethnicity into which they are born is at the bottom of the social hierarchy. (UMN, 2016).

Family life is very multifaceted. Each function of the family is social. The social nature of the family is determined primarily by the fact that the family is the unit of society first of all. As a result of family functions, the vital needs not only of family members but also of society as a whole are satisfied. The International Federation for Family Development (IFFD) states that No entity can fully replace the functions families perform for the benefit of their members and the good of society. “The family is the most powerful, the most humane and, by far, the most economical system known for building competence and character.”

The Centre for Family Health Initiative (CFHI) is committed to the promotion of health and protection of the well-being of families in Africa. We are driven by a vision of healthy families, healthy societies. Over the years, through funded projects and individual donations we have deployed several community-driven and family centred health interventions, encompassing socio-economic empowerment of women and youths – assisting them to take care of their families. Some of these projects include providing women with non-interest loans and startup kits, provision of educational and medical support, food items, skill acquisition and startup kit to Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) children, maternal and child health trainings for pregnant and lactating mothers, amongst many others.

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WOMEN AS AGENTS OF SOCIAL CHANGE

Speak Wednesday, Uncategorized / cfhinitiative

According to Wikipedia, Social change involves alteration of the social order of a society. It may include changes in social institutions, social behaviors or social relations.

Family is considered the first agent of socialization and women are seen as the primary caretakers of the young ones in the family. Women play an important role in facilitating or hindering changes in family life which affects the society inadvertently. Women are naturally the doctors, educators and caretakers within the family, and they become the glue that holds the family together and connects it to the larger community to address common needs and concerns. As women take up essential roles within the family, the roles naturally expand to the community, nation, and world, because they are raising the next generation of people who will become contributors to not just the family but the society at large.

There is a growing consensus that women’s equal rights and opportunity is linked to peace, prosperity, human development and democracy. How a country taps the talents and capacity of its women greatly determines its economic, social and political progress. Women in most societies, whether developed or developing are regarded as currency with which political and economic alliances are established.

In Nigeria, women have made some remarkable impact in contributing to the development of the nation. Such as the late Mrs. Margaret Ekpo, Prof. Dora Akunyili, Mrs. Janet Mokelu, Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Hajia and Mrs. Maryam Babangida. There is also able Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who in her capacity as Finance Minister in Nigeria, instituted various reforms in Nigeria, thereby making the country one of the best economies in the world.

Truth is envisioning a world where girls and women are fully active agents of change means planning a change for the better.

Speak Wednesday is an initiative of Centre for Family Health Initiative (CFHI) to address issues of gender based violence and gender bias. Join us every Wednesday on all our social media platforms for more episodes.

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Speak Wednesday / cfhinitiative

THE IMPORTANCE OF FINANCIAL LITERACY FOR WOMEN

Have you ever heard of the term “financial abuse” and that the National Network to End Domestic Violence noted that research shows this form of abuse occurs in 99% of physically abusive relationships where women are mostly the victims? Victims of domestic violence often say that financial abuse is the main reason they stayed with an abusive partner. This is because the financial burden placed on them made survival on their own seem impossible.

Financial abuse is one major consequence of financial illiteracy. Financial literacy is the ability to make informed judgements and effective decisions regarding the use and management of money. The pillars of financially literacy include: Budgeting, Saving, Investing, Understanding Credit /Managing Debt and paying bills.

Financial literacy for women is a critical aspect for them to reach their personal as well as professional objectives, without being dependent on anyone. It prepares them for crisis in the future as well as create a fallback for retirement. Being financially literate enables you to make smarter money management decisions that lead directly to a financially secure future, one that protects the assets built by you and your loved ones.

Financially-literate individuals do better at budgeting, saving money, controlling spending, participating in financial markets, planning for retirement and ultimately, successfully accumulating wealth. Research shows that there is a link between women’s financial status and other important aspects of household well-being, as a matter of fact, low financial status correlates with poorer physical, mental and emotional health outcomes for all household members and lower educational attainment of children.

Financial literate women are seen as assets to those around them rather than a liability. There is a great deal of respect that comes from a financially stable woman being able to hold her own irrespective of what the people around her are able to provide for her. Such women become role models and occupy prestigious places of respect in society. Their voices and opinions are valued and appreciated.

Individuals can engage in financial literacy in multiple ways, as follows: by reading up on financial issues, by taking up online or in-person financial literacy course, by Listening to Podcasts and Radio Shows or by talking to a financial professional.

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Female Roles in Nation Building, Gender, Gender Equality, Speak Wednesday, Women's Rights / cfhinitiative

THE IMPORTANCE OF WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Women empowerment refers to complete emancipation of women from socio-economic shackles of dependency and deprivations. Often made synonymous to gender equality, the term women empowerment encompasses a much larger set of principles that needs whole-hearted attention. Empowerment of women would mean encouraging women to be self-reliant, economically independent, have positive self-esteem, generate confidence to face any difficult situation and incite active participation in various socio-political development endeavours.

The growing conscience is to accept women as individuals capable of making rational and educated decisions about them as well as the society, increasing and improving the economic, political and legal strength of the women, to ensure equal right as men, achieve internationally agreed goals for development and sustainability, and improve the quality of life for their families and communities.

Women empowerment in its actuality is synonymous with complete development of the community. An educated woman, with knowledge about health, hygiene, cleanliness is capable of creating a better disease-free environment for her family. A self-employed woman is capable of contributing not only to her family’s finances, but also contributes towards the country’s economic development. A shared source of income is much more likely to uplift the quality of life than a single income household and more often than not helps the family come out of poverty trap.

Women aware of their legal rights are less likely to be victims of domestic violence or other forms of exploitations. Basic legal information about rights and knowledge on the different acts like the Matrimony act and Domestic Violence act, is vital for any woman to have, as this knowledge will empower them to be able to better handle such situations for themselves as well as those around them who might find themselves in such situation.

When women are living safe, fulfilled and productive lives, they can reach their full potential. Contributing their skills to the workforce and can raise happier and healthier children. A key part of this empowerment is through education, training, awareness raising, building self-confidence, expansion of choices, increased access to and control over resources, and actions to transform the structures and institutions that reinforce and perpetuate gender discrimination and inequality. These are important tools for empowering women and girls to claim their rights which leads to community/national development.

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