By Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D. (Ne Aderogba) Academic Advisor Email: pejuoti2002@yahoo.com Lead City University, Ibadan.

The Total Woman Seminar June 7, 2013.

6/14/2013 Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

6/14/2013

Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

OUTLINE
Introduction Definitions Gender based violence by Type

Physical Sexual Emotional Help seeking behaviour

Factors that perpetuate violence Socio cultural Political

Identifying Potential abuser

Indication of violence against girls Behavioural Changes- Sign of abuse Consequences of sexual violence Statistics Recommendations
Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

6/14/2013

Introduction
Each year, tens of thousands of children in Nigeria are

traumatized by physical, sexual, and emotional abuse by adults who are supposed to take care of them (especially adult male). Due negligence, economic hardship, and cultural believes, cases of child abuse enjoy some level of tolerance from a cross-section of the Nigerian society. In most cases, child abuse cases either go unreported or the culprits walk away un-apprehended. However, the scars of child abuse can be deep and long-lasting, affecting not just abused children but the society in general. If we take statistics here some of you may have experienced one form of abuse or the other.
6/14/2013 Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

Definitions
Violence: is any act that causes injury or

harm, intimidates or causes fear, and demeans or humiliates a person Abuse: The physical, psychological, or sexual maltreatment of a person. Gender: refers to socially constructed roles as prescribed for female and male persons.

6/14/2013

Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

Definitions Cont.
Gender-based Violence: violence involving

men and women, in which the woman/female is usually the victim and which arises from unequal power relationships between men and women. In other words, its violence committed in an intimate relationship
The female gender has a long history of deprivations in the social and professional spheres.

6/14/2013

Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

Forms of Gender-based Violence

Physical
Verbal

Sexual
Psychological

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Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

Physical Violence
Physical. Acts that include bodily harm.

Beating, kicking, punching, burning, arm twisting, female genital mutilation, sexual assault, forced abortion, force use of contraceptives, traditional practices harmful to women, female infanticide, etc.
Note: In over 95% of all domestic abuse violence, the man is the batterer/perpetrator.
NB: Many of these acts of violence and abuse occur

within the home.

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Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

Verbal abuse
Regular and systematic verbal attacks (often

purposefully targeting sensitive spots. Putdowns (in private or in front of others). Ridiculing, comments and green jokes (about the stupidity of women, sexual availability). Use of F or swear-words Humiliating Threatening Name-calling (e.g. a ba ya e, asa wo,) etc.
6/14/2013 Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

Gender based sexual violence

Rape (as broadly defined; including date and marital

rape) Acts of lasciviousness (showing a desire for sex) Forcing to do or watch a sexual act Forced unsafe sex Sexual harassment Prostitution Using sexuality as a terrain for attack as with other forms of violence, is related to the social power structure.
Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

6/14/2013

FACTORS THAT PERPETUATE VIOLENCE

SOCIO-CULTURAL
Gender specific socialization Cultural definitions of appropriate sex roles Expectations of roles within relationships Belief on the inherent superiority of males

6/14/2013

Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

 Values that give men proprietary rights over

women and girls

Notion of the family as the private sphere and

under male control

Customs of marriage (bride price / dowry) Acceptability of violence as a means to resolve

conflict. (Pashan ta fi nayale)

Portrayal of negative image of women in the

media
6/14/2013 Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

ECONOMIC FACTORS
Womens economic dependence on men Limited access to cash and credit Discriminatory

laws regarding inheritance, property rights, use of communal lands, and maintenance after divorce or widowhood informal sector

Limited access to employment in formal and Limited access to education and training

6/14/2013

Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

POLITICAL
Under-representation of women in power, politics, media and in legal and medical professions Domestic violence not taken seriously Notions of family being private and beyond control of the state Risk of challenge to status quo / religious laws Limited organisation of women as a political force Limited participation of women in organised political system

6/14/2013

Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

LEGAL

Laws regarding divorce, child custody,

maintenance and inheritance Low levels of legal literacy among women Lesser legal status of women either by written law and / or by practice Insensitive treatment of women and girls by police and judiciary

6/14/2013

Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

Identifying a potential Abuser

A potential abuser possesses the following qualities: Monopolizes your time Isolates you from friends and family Makes you check in with him He is extremely jealous or possessive He put his hand on you in a hurtful way and calls it playing He wants to control everything about you including what you wear. He uses drug and alcohol to feel high
6/14/2013 Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

Indications of violence against Girls:

PHYSICAL

Fractures, injuries of conjunctive

tissue: wounds on head or face; broken teeth; broken jaw; black eyes; perforated ear-drums
6/14/2013 Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

Behavioral Changes - Signs of Sexual Abuse

Sleep disturbances: nightmares, night

terror Appetite disturbances: loss of appetite Neurotic disorders Phobias: avoidance behavior Withdrawal, depression Guilt

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Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

Behavioral Changes - Signs of Sexual Abuse

Medical conditions

Genital or urethral trauma

Genital infection

Sexually transmitted diseases

Recurrent urinary tract infections

Abdominal pain

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Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

Behavioral Changes - Signs of Sexual Abuse

Other signs:

Pregnancy School problems

Promiscuity or prostitution
Substance abuse

Commonly admitting to guilt

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Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

Statistics
Figures for 2012, released by the government of Lagos State listed 427 child rape incidents, with many left unreported by parents unwilling to reveal the identities of victims. In January, a report by the Child Protection Network, a child rights advocacy group, listed 95 child rape cases in five northern states. Gombe State at the top of the chart with 50 cases. Kano was next with 22, Bauchi, Plateau and Nasarawa yielded 11, eight and four cases respectively.

One of the reported cases in Bauchi featured a police officer, who allegedly raped nine underage girls.
The number of girls raped in the Niger Delta in the last six months is alarming. Within the six months under focus, not less than 18 of such cases were recorded in Port Harcourt alone. The cases involved the rape of a 13-year

old girl by a group of boys, the assault of two sistersaged six and threeby one man and that of a 10-year old girl raped at gunpoint. Many of the cases go unreported.

6/14/2013

Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

 Siege of Child Violence and Rape

Dangers Of Street-trading: 14-year-old Girl Raped By A 40-year Old Man

The victim, identified as Anifat, explained that she was hawking groundnuts at the Folagoro area of Lagos when the suspect, Lukmon, called her and said he wanted to buy four cups of groundnuts. He then raped her.

Man Rapes 4-year Old Girl - I didnt penetrate, but only ejaculated on her pubic area" The police in Lagos have arrested an alleged pedophile, Chinedum Udeaba for his failure to control his libido and eventual defilement of a four-year old girl, (names with held) daughter of his co-tenant of 6, Niyi close, Ojo, Lagos.

Raped By Her Father- 17 year-old recounts her ordeal.

17-year-old girl stunned policemen at the Sabo Division in Lagos when she walked into the station to claim that her father raped her on several occasions.

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Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

Nigerian Man Rapes 6-year Old GirlOffers To Pay N5 Million ($35,000) A six-year-old girl, Favour, who was allegedly raped by a middle aged man and a father of five, seems to have got the law on her side as the man has been re-arrested. Ehijere: Raped his two daughters In his home at 8, Kolawole Sebili Street, Iyana Ejigbo in Lagos, 48-year old Sylvester Ehijere was a scourge. For many years, he sexually abused his two daughters, starting with the first, whom he serially violated until marriage took her away from home and her fathers unnatural attention. With her departure from home, Ehijere switched to her seven-year old sister. Adopting a carrot and stick approach, Ehijere made a string of unfulfilled promises and used threats to ensure compliance with his bizarre demands.

6/14/2013

Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

Kassim Mohammed, 43; one Daramola, popularly called Tobi, 21; and James Adenekan, 19. Mohammed, who is married, alongside the two other men, is facing trial for sexually assaulting a six-year old girl at her aunts home in Isheri, Lagos. The three men, at various times, were said to have sexually assaulted the girl.
Kassim Mohammed: Raped a 6-year old girl

Child Abuse: Six Year Old House Girl Tortured And Roasted For Disobeying 'Oga and Madam' Chinaza was brutally tortured and locked up in the room by her aunt, Ifeoma and her husband, Emmanuel for disobeying them by taking their child she was babysitting outside their apartment in Igboelerin, Okokomaiko, a suburb of Lagos.

6/14/2013

Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

 Nigerian Woman Gives Housegirl Scar With Hot Knife For Watching TV 11-year old Nkiru Egboanu who left her village in Anambra State to stay with her uncle and his wife was literally turned into an animal by her uncles wife, Uju Basil. Her guardian allegedly placed a knife in a burning stove and defaced her body with the red hot knife.

14-year-old Amarachi Battered By a Nigerian Actress, Mrs. Ndidi Amechi Ndili Amarachi was rescued by a kind-hearted Nigerian, Mrs. Fashola Kings when she was taking Ndidis children to school with a swollen eye.

Under-aged Girl Forced Into Prostitution At Age 12 Before Agnes got to the age of 12, she had already lost her virginity to a man she identified as Okonkon. Her troubles started when her parents died few years back while she was still in primary two and left her in the care of an Aunt.
6/14/2013 Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

Prevention
EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION
On the lessons she teaches her daughters, Stella Damasus said: I taught my daughters that when any man, be he their uncle, brother or even a friend , comes to the house, greet and go to your seats. If the visitor says, give me a hug, give them side hug. If he says give me a full hug, tell him mummy says that I shouldnt do that. If he says sit on my lap, say NO, I want to sit on the chair. If he says come let me buy you ice cream, tell them thank you. If any man touches them between their chests and thighs, they should scream and run. I warned them that they should not stay there and later come and tell me a story. If his hands start to come to any part of your body that he should not touch, shout. I remind them of this every morning because they have to be taught. If that had happened, I would probably have been in jail. I will kill the man and go to jail, she said.

6/14/2013

Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

What can be done to combat gender based abuse and violence

Awareness raising
Recognition and applying legal measures Effective mechanisms and processes for the prevention

violence National committees for gender advancement with clear plan of action Effective legislation to ensure gender equality and redress. Affirmative action (education, employment)
6/14/2013 Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

What can you do?

Are you a survivor; I dont call you a victim. Did you disclose your ordeal to anyone? Are you leaving with the guilt and shame We are here to help you Never get physically close to any opposite sex Never keep secret with any adult Never allow anyone to intimidate or threaten you Your body is your territory; dont allow anyone to burgle it You can postpone sex. Never destroy evidence, report immediately to authority
6/14/2013 Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

Recommendations
Parents must communicate well with their children and

give them sexuality education from an early age so as to guide them in their social interactions. Women in Oyo state have to arise in defense of the girlchild (our baby girls, daughters and grand-daughters). Laws guiding sexuality have to be reviewed to protect victims and survivors and punish offenders. Long-term imprisonment and castration of offenders. Training of judicial and police officers on effective prosecution of rape cases. Abolition of corroboration as proof of rape Victims, their family and friends must be encouraged to speak up.
Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.

6/14/2013

THANK

YOU

6/14/2013

Presentation of Adepeju Olaide OTI, Ph.D.