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Inclusive national dialogue and accountability for rights violations can heal Ethiopia from a culture of impunityPosted: 16 May, 2022 Filed under: Dunia Mekonnen Tegegn | Tags: (CEDAW), abduction, accountability, anxiety, conflict, Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, crimes against humanity, Criminal Code, depression, Ethiopia, Ethiopia’s National Defense Force, gang rape, gender-based violence, impunity, International Criminal law, mental health problems, sexual violence, sexually transmitted diseases, Tigray People Liberation Front, transitional periods, unwanted pregnancy 2 Comments Author: Dunia Mekonnen Tegegn Human Rights Lawyer and Gender equality advocate On 3 November 2020, conflict broke out between the Tigray People Liberation Front and Ethiopia’s National Defense Forces when the Tigray People Liberation Front assaulted the Northern command. Due to the conflict in Ethiopia, women and girls continue to bear the brunt of the cruel and inhuman acts committed by all parties involved in the conflict for the last 17 months. Many have lost their lives, suffered sexual violence, been displaced, and starved. Young girls, women living with disability, older women, and refugee women have been the target of brutal sexual violence. These crimes are horrific in nature as they represent the level of vengeance and humiliation pursued by actors to the conflict. Reports have highlighted the extent of these violations and implicated all sides to the conflict in war crimes and crimes against humanity. Read the rest of this entry » Towards eradicating female genital mutilation in NigeriaPosted: 3 September, 2021 Filed under: Dunia Mekonnen Tegegn | Tags: abuse, abuse of women, Africa, child marriage, clitoris, cultural relativism, domestic violence, federal law, female genital mutilation, fgm, FGM/C, fistula, GBV, gender-based violence, Harmful practices, harmful traditional practices, human rights, indigenous areas, international call, maternal mortality, Nigeria, protection, psychological violence, sexual violence, socioeconomic violence, traditional circumcisers, Type II, vagina, violence, women's rights Leave a comment Author: Dunia Mekonnen Tegegn Human Rights Lawyer and Gender equality advocate Nigeria is home to over 180 million people, 49.4% of whom are female. Along with the rest of the population, the Nigerian female population will experience dramatic increases in size by 2050. As far as violence against women is concerned, federal law addresses sexual violence, physical violence, psychological violence, harmful traditional practices, and socio-economic violence. The law also cites spousal battery, forceful ejection from the home, forced financial dependence or economic abuse, harmful widowhood practices, female genital mutilation/cutting (“FGM/C”), other harmful traditional practices, substance attacks (such as acid attacks), political violence, and violence by state actors (especially government security forces) as offenses. A 2019 survey on domestic violence found that 47% of respondents had suffered from domestic violence or knew someone who had; 82% of respondents indicated that violence against women was prevalent in the country. Police often refused to intervene in domestic disputes or blamed the victim for provoking the abuse. In rural areas, courts, and police were reluctant to intervene to protect women who formally accused their husbands of abuse if the level of alleged abuse did not exceed local customary norms. Addressing gender-based violence against women and children in AfricaPosted: 14 January, 2021 Filed under: Kwasi Asiedu Abrokwah | Tags: Africa, child marriage, discrimination, female genital mutilation, femicide, GBV, Gender Based Violence, intimate partner violence, kidnapping, lack of education, religious laws, sexual harassment, sexual violence, socio-economic violence, United Nations Women’s Organization, UNWomen 1 Comment Author: Kwasi Asiedu Abrokwah Operational Supervisor, Prime Legacy Construction Pty; Communications Director, The Great People of South Africa Introduction Gender-based violence (GBV) is defined as violence that is directed against a person on the basis of their gender or sex, including acts that inflict physical, mental, or sexual harm (intimate partner violence or non-intimate partner violence), suffering threats of such acts, coercion and deprivations of liberty. According to the United Nations Women’s Organisation (UNWomen), it is estimated that 35 percent of women worldwide have experienced either physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives. In the West African region, Liberia, Cote d´Ivoire and Sierra Leone are examples of countries where GBV were used as weapons of war. GBV has been a huge problem in Africa where women and children are violated by men. GBV occurs in various forms, including femicide, female genital mutilation (FGM), child marriage, intimate partner violence, sexual harassment, sexual violence and kidnapping. It may also occur in the form of socio-economic violence, including discrimination and denial of opportunities or services on the basis of sex, gender, sexual orientation. Adolescent girls and young women have a right to know: Accessing information on sexual and reproductive health and rights in the wake of COVID-19Posted: 22 October, 2020 Filed under: Kerigo Odada | Tags: accessing information, adolescent girls, COVID-19, experience, exploitation, human rights abuses, information, pandemic, sexual and reproductive health and rights, sexual violence, skills, SRHR, unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions 2 Comments Author: Kerigo Odada Human Rights Lawyer; LLM (Sexual & Reproductive Rights in Africa) student, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria For many adolescent girls and young women around the world, adolescence marks not only the commencement of puberty, but also a time where statistically, the risk of facing human rights abuses such as sexual violence, exploitation, and other adverse outcomes of sex increases. However, despite this high predisposition to abuse, adolescent girls and young women still face multiple barriers in accessing information on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Discriminatory cultural values, laws, and policies that are driven by the stigma attached to sexuality have made it challenging for members of this social group to enjoy full access to much needed SRHR information. As of April 2020, about 1.725 billion students worldwide were forced out of learning institutions due to COVID-19. Although the closure of schools and other lockdown measures were strategic in controlling the spread of COVID-19, this situation unfortunately meant that many adolescent girls and young women were now confined in homes where they were, and still are, at a heightened risk of prolonged sexual abuse, exploitation and negative outcomes of sex. Promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights for women with albinism in AfricaPosted: 11 September, 2020 Filed under: Satang Nabaneh | Tags: Africa, albinism, contraception, CRPD, discrimination, have limited knowledge on albinism, health care, human rights violations, infanticide, International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action, lack of access to education, Maputo Protocol, maternal care, physical abuse, physical attacks, sexual violence, stereotypes, stigma, unemployment, unwanted pregnancies Leave a comment Author: Satang Nabaneh Post-doctoral Fellow, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria Discrimination and stigma relating to persons with albinism remain the norm in many Africa countries. Persons with albinism have been subjected to gross human rights violations. In some extreme cases, persons with albinism in the African region have been killed for rituals or subjected to other physical abuse. While attention has been given to the killings of persons with albinism worldwide, little attention has been given to other human rights violations they encounter while seeking social services, particularly health care services. Deep-rooted prejudices and stereotypes about persons with albinism tend to aggravate human rights violations they experience. Discrimination against persons with albinism can lead to deleterious health consequences and at the same time hinder access to care for them. #IAmToufah makes the message clear: We are not going to wish the rape crisis awayPosted: 25 July, 2019 Filed under: Satang Nabaneh | Tags: #IAmToufah, #Jammeh2Justice, #TimeIsUp, culture of rape, Fatou ‘Toufah’ Jallow, gender-based violence, human rights abuses, President Jammeh, rape, sexual crimes, sexual violence, The Gambia, women's rights, Women’s Act 2010 Leave a comment Author: Satang Nabaneh Project Officer, Women Rights Unit, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria In dealing with past human rights abuses and upholding standards of respect for human rights, The Gambia’s transition from an abusive regime to democracy must also entail justice for victims of gender-based violence. Consequently, the most illustrative example of addressing sexual violence being part of the democratisation of society happened last month when 23-year-old former beauty queen, Fatou ‘Toufah’ Jallow accused former President Jammeh of rape. Toufah detailed her story from the starting point of winning the state-sponsored beauty pageant in 2014 when she was 18 years old. Over the next few months, Jammeh lavished her with cash gifts and other favors including installation of running water in her family house. She was offered a position as a “protocol girl,” to work at the State House, which she declined. She also turned down his marriage proposal. During a pre-Ramadan Quran recital at State House, Jammeh locked her in a room and told her: “There’s no woman that I want that I cannot have.” She said that he then hit and taunted her, injected her with a liquid, and raped her. Days later, she fled to neighboring Senegal. Violence against women and girls in Africa: A global concern to ponder on International Women’s Day and beyondPosted: 8 March, 2018 Filed under: Kennedy Kariseb | Tags: Africa, conflict, education, empowerment, feminism, girls, human rights, international human rights, international law, International Women's Day, IWD, IWD2018, pandemic, sexual violence, SRVAW, treaty, UN, United Nations, VAW, violence, violence against women, women, women's human rights, women's rights, women's rights movement 2 Comments Author: Kennedy Kariseb Doctoral candidate, Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria It has been four decades since the United Nations (UN) observed for the first time International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8 March 1975. Although there are traces of celebration of this day, dating as far back as 1909, its formal initiation came in the wake of the first World Conference of the International Women’s Year that took place in Mexico City, Mexico. Its object, as aptly argued by Temma Kaplan, is to mark ‘the occasion for a new sense of female consciousness and a new sense of feminist internationalism’.[i] In a sense, 8 March is meant to be a day of both celebration and reflection for women the world over: a celebration of the gains made in enhancing women’s rights and the overall status of women globally, while reflecting and strategising on the voids and shortcomings still persistent in the women’s rights discourse. The occasion of the forty-third celebration of the IWD clearly marks an opportunity for feminist introspection on the broader question of violence against Women (VAW) and its regulation under international law. This is because while VAW is not the only form of human rights abuse women suffer, it is one in which the gendered aspect of such abuse is often the most clear and pervasive.
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बहिस्करणसँग जोडिएको यौन हिंसा नेपालजस्तो विकासोन्मुख मुलुकमा महिला हिंसाका घटना हुनु नौलो रहेन। महिला हिंसाले समाजमा प्रत्यक्ष रुपमा पार्ने असरलाई जो कोहीले सजिलै व्याख्याको घेराभित्रबाट अवोलोकन गर्न सक्दैन। दाइजो, यौनहिंसा वा मानसिक यातनाका कारणजस्ता हिंसाले महिला आत्महत्याको शिकार बनेका उदाहरण पनि प्रशस्त छन्। आउनुहोस् महिला हिंसा र यस विषयमा उठेका प्रश्न बारे केही बहस गरौँ। के हो महिला हिंसा? महिला भएकै आधारबाट मानव अधिकारको उपभोगमा गरिने विभेद, शारीरिक तथा मानसिक रूपबाट दिइने पीडा, प्रतिबन्धलगायत जुनसुकै तरिकाबाट महिलाको आत्मसम्मानमा पु-याइने सबै किसिमको आघातलाई महिला हिंसाका रूपमा बुझ्नुपर्छ। समाजमा महिला हिंसाको स्थिति कायम रहन विभिन्न तत्वले भूमिका निर्वाह गरिरहेका हुन्छन्। नेपालको सन्दर्भमा कुल जनसंख्याको आधाभन्दा बढी हिस्सा ओगटेका महिला अहिलेसम्म पनि विभेद, असमानता, अन्याय तथा विभिन्न खालका हिंसाको शिकार भैरहेका छन्। पितृसत्तात्मक नेपाली समाजमा महिलालाई दोस्रो दर्जाको नागरिकका रूपमा गरिने व्यवहार अहिले पनि कायमै छ। महिला र पुरुषबीच विद्यमान सामाजिक विभेदका कारण पनि महिलामाथि हिंसाका घटना भइरहेका छन्। महिलाको हत्या, बलात्कार, यौन दुर्व्यवहार, अपहरण, बेचबिखन, कुटपिट, शरीरमै आगो लगाइदिने, विष खुवाएर, एसिड खन्याएर कुरूप बनाउने, दैनिक घर–व्यवहारमा भेदभाव गर्ने, संस्कार एवं परम्पराका नाममा अधिकारबाट वञ्चित गर्ने गराउने, आत्मसम्मानमा चोट पुग्ने बोली र व्यवहार गरिने आदि घटना भैरहेका छन्। त्यस्ता सबै कार्यलाई महिलाविरुद्धको हिंसा मानिएको छ। महिला हिंसाको स्थिति लेखक उषा थपलिया महिला हिंसाको स्थिति बारे लेख्छिन् – 'महिला हिंसाअन्तर्गत पनि अधिकांश महिला आफ्नै घर परिवेशभित्र श्रीमान तथा परिवारका अन्य सदस्यबाट पीडित छन्, जसलाई घरेलु हिंसा भन्ने गरिएको छ। दाइजो नल्याएको, छोरा पाउन नसकेको, चरित्र राम्रो नभएको जस्ता आरोप लगाउँदै श्रीमान तथा उनका परिवारका सदस्यहरूले पत्नी र बुहारीप्रति गर्ने व्यवहार अति नै अमानवीय रहँदै आएको पाइन्छ। श्रीमान बहुविवाह गरेर अघिल्ली श्रीमती तथा सन्तानप्रतिको जिम्मेवारी पूरा नगर्ने र कतिपय अवस्थामा घरबाट निकालिदिने अवस्थाका साथै महिला वैवाहिक बलात्कारबाट पनि उत्तिकै सताइएका छन्। त्यस्तै सामाजिक तहमा हुने विभिन्न खालका हिंसाबाट पनि महिला उत्तिकै पीडित हुने गरेका छन्। कामकाजमा रहेका महिलाविरुद्ध विभिन्न किसिमका टिप्पणी गरेर गरिने चरित्र हत्या, सार्वजनिक स्थल तथा सवारीसाधनमा दुर्व्यवहार एवं अपशब्दहरूको प्रयोग, काम गर्ने ठाउँमा हुने हिंसाजन्य व्यवहार व्यापक रूपमा हुने भए पनि सामाजिक तहमा भने यस्ता घटनालाई सामान्य ढंगले मात्र हेर्ने गरिएको छ। पछिल्लो समयमा महिला तथा बालिकामाथि हुने बलात्कारका घटना असामान्य ढंगबाट वृद्धि भैरहेका छन्। कतिपय बलात्कारका घटनामा बलात्कारपछि पीडित हत्यासमेत हुने गरेको छ। बोक्सीको आरोपमा असहाय महिलाको ज्यान लिनेदेखि र हदैसम्मको निकृष्ट व्यवहार सहन बाध्य छन्। त्यस्तै प्रथा र परम्पराका नाममा व्यक्तिगत स्वतन्त्रता एवं अधिकारबाट वञ्चित हुँदै अझै पनि महिलाहरू देउकी र झुमाको जिन्दगी जिइरहेका छन् भने नेपालको पश्चिमी भेगमा कायम छाउपडी प्रथाका कारण महिलाहरू अहिलेसम्म पनि कुन तहको जीवन बाँचिरहेका छन् भन्ने प्रश्न खडा भएको छ। यौन व्यवसाय, सर्कसलगायत विभिन्न प्रयोजनका लागि भारत तथा खाडी मुलुकहरूमा बर्सेनि लगभग ५ हजार महिला तथा बालबालिका बेचिने तथ्यांक सार्वजनिक हुँदै आएको छ। त्यस्तै रोजगारीका लागि खाडीलगायत विभिन्न देश पुगेर घरेलु श्रमिकका रूपमा काम गर्ने महिलाहरूको शोषण एवं अत्याचार पनि बेलाबेलामा सार्वजनिक हुने गरेका छन् ।' महिला हिंसाबारे सविंधानमा के छ? मुलुकी अपराध (संहिता) ऐन, २०७४ को दफा १६८ ले अपमानजनक वा अमानवीय व्यवहार गर्न वा गराउनु नहुने भन्ने उल्लेख छ। सामाजिक व्यवहार सुधार ऐन, २०३३– सामाजिक व्यवहार सुधार ऐनमा दाइजो, तिलकसम्बन्धी व्यवस्था छ। विवाहमा तिलक लिन नपाइने कुरा यस ऐनको दफा ५ मा उल्लेखित छ। जसमा केटा पक्ष वा केटी पक्षले दाइजो माग्न वा दिन नहुने कुरा उल्लेख गरिएको छ। घरेलु हिंसा (कसुर र सजाय) ऐन, २०६६– घरेलु हिंसा (कसुर र सजाय) ऐनको प्रस्तावनामा नै प्रत्येक व्यक्तिको सुरक्षित र सम्मानपूर्वक बाँच्न पाउने अधिकारको सम्मान गर्दै घर परिवारभित्र र घर परिवारसँग जोडिएर आउने हिंसाजन्य कार्यलाई दण्डनीय बनाई त्यस्तो कार्य नियन्त्रण गर्न तथा घरेलु हिंसाबाट पीडित व्यक्तिलाई संरक्षण प्रदान गर्नेसम्बन्धी व्यवस्था भएको उल्लेख छ। महिलामाथि हुने सबै प्रकारका भेदभाव अन्त्य गर्ने महासन्धि, १९७९ महिलामाथि हुने सबै प्रकारका भेदभाव अन्त्य गर्ने महासन्धिमा पनि नेपाल हस्ताक्षर गरी पक्ष राष्ट्र रहेको छ। त्यसैगरी बेइजिङ घोषणपत्रले पनि महिलामाथि हुने हिंसा अन्त्यका लागि धेरै भन्दा धेरै कुरा सम्बोधन गरेको छ। महिला हिंसा कसरी रोकथाम गर्न सकिन्छ ? निकै लामो समयसम्म महिला, दलित र अल्पसंख्यक समुदायलाई पछि पारियो। मूलधारमा उनीहरूको आवाजको सुनुवाइ नै भएन। बलात्कार, यौन हिंसालगायतका घटनामा यो लामो समयको उत्पीडन र बहिस्करण जोडिएको छ। हिंसाजन्य गतिविधिका पीडित पनि उनीहरू नै बढी पर्ने गरेका छन्। विभिन्न तथ्यांकले पुष्टि गर्छन्– विपन्न, अशिक्षित र विभिन्न रूपमा पछाडि पारिएका महिला नै बढी पीडित हुँदै आएका छन्। सदियौंदेखि जरा गाडेको उत्पीडनको संरचना अन्त्य गर्न कठिन त होला तर सम्भव छ। यसका केही उपाय छन्। अन्नपूर्ण पोष्टमा भारती पाठक लेख्छिन् –'महिलालाई शिक्षा भनेर पहिलेदेखि भनियो। आजको समयमा शिक्षा मात्रै भन्दा अपूर्ण हुन सक्छ। शिक्षासँगै नेतृत्व विकास र आर्थिक सशक्तीकरण पनि अपरिहार्य आवश्यकता हो। जो गरीब र विपन्न हुन्छ, जो समाजमा अघि सरेर आफ्ना कुरा राख्न सक्दैन, उनै हिंसाबाट बढी पीडित हुने गरेका छन्।' स्रोतसाधनमा महिलाको पहुँच तथा अधिकार सुनिश्चित नभएसम्म महिला हिंसाका घटना अन्त्य हुन असम्भव छ। हिंसापछि पनि समाजमा सार्वजनिक हुन नसक्ने अवस्थाको मुख्य कारण पनि सम्पत्ति र स्रोतसाधनमा महिलाको अधिकार नभएरै हो। संविधानले सम्पत्तिमा महिलाको हक निश्चित गरिदिए पनि व्यवहारतः निकै कठिन छ। प्राविधिक र संरचनागत रूपमै स्रोतमाथि महिलाको हक निश्चित गर्न कठिन देखिन्छ। अन्त्यमा नेपाली पुरूष प्रधान समाज हो। यहाँ परम्परागत सोचमा परिवर्तन भएको छैन। महिलाले दाइजो नल्याएका कारण यातना सहनु पर्ने, बोक्सीको आरोप लगाएर घर निकाला गरिने, बालविवाह, बहुविवाह, देहव्यापार, गरीबी, बेरोजगारी, मानसिक यातना, गालीगलौज, बलात्कार, बैवाहिक बलात्कार, बहुविवाह, चेलीबेटी बेचविखन र ओसारपसार, हाडनातामा करणी, वैदेशीक रोजगारीको नाममा ठगी, यौन शोषण, अत्याधिक काम, यौन दुरूत्साहन, यौन शोषणलगायतका हिंसाले यहाँको समाज अछुतो छैन। राज्यको संरचनाले नै महिलाको सही र न्यायपूर्ण प्रतिनिधित्व गराउन सकेको छैन। पुरूष प्रधान मानसिकताले गर्दा महिला नेतृत्व अगाडि आउन सकेको छैन। रूढीवादी परम्परा, पितृसत्तात्मक सोच, सामाजिक मूल्य मान्यताका कारण महिलालाई दोस्रो दर्जाको नागरिककोरूपमा हेरिनु, समान अवसरबाट वञ्चित गराइनु, महिलाको स्वतन्त्रता, गतिशीलता र शरीरमाथि अरूले नियन्त्रण गर्ने प्रवृतिको कारण पनि महिलामाथि हिंसा भएको अवस्था छ।