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Asibong: Women deserve more space in socio-political arena

Dr. Inyang Asibong is the Commissioner for International Development Co-operation in Cross River State. In this interview on International Women’s Day, she explains why women are clamouring for equality. CLEMENT JAMES reports

 

Although International Women’s Day has come and gone, what exactly does it mean to celebrate this day?

 

One day in a year is not enough to celebrate it, though it is one of the days we have observed as International Women’s Day. For me, celebrating International Women’s Day means celebrating the bravery, resilience, brevity, attributes, courage and beauty and so on of women around the world, who are making impacts with their passion, creativity and work.

 

You cannot really calculate the impact of women. They have every right to work and live their dreams. Women have always contributed to making a difference in our societies. They are innovative and industrious. They are entrepreneurs and philanthropists. Women are compassionate and committed to address challenges through community-based initiatives.

The achievements of women around the world should be celebrated for their immense contributions in making our earth a better place for life to thrive. They are virtuous and courageous mind changers who deserve all the support possible for them to continue doing what they do best.

I believe celebrating intentional women is realigning people’s thinking about how women are perceived and valued within society. It is empowering women even more while encouraging men to assist in creating an environment where women can thrive. We need each other to achieve much more in building and sustaining a better society than we currently have now.

 

Women have been clamoring for equality for a long time. Can you explain what this equality means given the fact that women are meant to support men?

The world we live in today is patriarchal; the male gender is given first consideration and women then become afterthoughts.

The clamor for gender equality on the contrary amplifies the eagerness of women to support the male gender. It is the concept of equality that is the motivation behind this clamor. Women have been disregarded and neglected since time immemorial without any attempt to redress their grievances at the cost of human rights violations.

When you talk about human rights, there is a general sense that they are universal and applicable to all. However, there is one area where a flagrant violation of women’s rights has been taking place for a long time; that is, women’s right to choose what to do with their bodies, but this is a discussion for another day.

What do you think can be done to erase female genital mutilation which is very rampant in our society?

The menace of female genital mutilation (FGM) has taken the world by storm and no country is left out of its reach. There’s been a significant increase in FGM cases in the United Kingdom, for example, and it has been reported that over 20,000 women and girls have at one time been victims of the act.

 

The United Nations estimates that over 130 million women living in Africa, Asia and the Middle East have undergone the act and many others are being threatened with it. It is 100 per cent not a religious or cultural practice as widely claimed by some communi-ties here in Africa.

 

It’s actually a harmful traditional practice which is inflicted on women and girls to suppress their sexuality and reduce their pleasure during sexual intercourse.

 

Unfortunately, there are some communities that still believe that it’s a rite of passage that a female child needs to go through before she can be considered an adult. So for me, cultural and traditional reorientation is one way the menace can be stopped.

There are differing cultural and traditional belief systems that are still encouraging the act  but when the people are properly sensitized and made aware of the dangers their daughters are being exposed to, I believe it’ll stop.

 

Also what do you think can be done to eliminate, if not eradicate, Vesico-Vagina Fistula (VVF), especially in the northern part of the state?

 

I think that we have to have a greater awareness of the conditions in which women give birth in northern Cross River and then use that awareness as a means for creating legislative pressure for an improved condition in health facilities.

 

This is the most basic issue. I believe that what we also need to do is to open up the conversation about the causes of this condition; there are two principal causes: one is the rapid increase in population generally, we are going through an era of rapid population growth, so you’ve got more women giving birth than before and this leads to greater competition for resources, which means that they are going to be crowded together and they are going to be giving birth in less than ideal conditions.

 

The second thing is culture. I think cultural influences lead women to accept very low standards of care during childbirth and this requires education. So there are two types of changes we need: one is a change in attitude, a cultural shift towards valuing women and respecting women; and second, a greater investment for better healthcare facilities for our people.

 

Recently, women protested against the non-inclusion of some key elements in the constitution to appease women. What are your thoughts on this?

 

Your choice of word “appease” is rather harsh and somewhat disrespectful to women in this context, especially the women protesters.

 

The female population in Nigeria is estimated at over 50 million and they are as knowledgeable on issues affecting them as men. When we talk about the value of women in society, then, the question of securing a place for women in socio-economic, political and cultural arenas becomes very relevant.

 

The recent amendment to the Constitution was an opportunity to enhance the place of women in Nigeria. However, this was not achieved.

 

The women are right to be concerned about the non-inclusion of these bills that would have made it possible for them to access political offices (to contest for a political position or to be voted for) in Nigeria.

It is common knowledge that 5 of the 68 bills, which sought to promote opportunities for women in politics, governance and the society at large, failed to get the required number of votes to be included in the proposed amendment to the 1999 Constitution, hence, the reaction from those women.

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