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Prof.
Aaron
Baba,
Special
Advicer
on Technological
Development |
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Technology,
Kogi State |
Updated
December 1, 2008
VOL.
13 No. 747 WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 17 - TUESDAY SEPTEMBER
22, 2008 ISSN 1116 - 7085 N70.00 |
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Seeking
Equal Opportunities for
Women
A conference with the
agenda, "EQUAL RIGHTS,
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES:
PROGRESS FOR ALL"
sponsored by the United
Nations' Commission on
the Status of Women,
held recently in New
York, United States of
America between 1st to
12th March, 2010. Kogi
State was represented at
this international
conference by the Hon.
Commissioner for Women
Affairs and Social
Development, Mrs.
Folashade Shinkaiye,
Barr. (Mrs) Janet
Ibidunlola Makun,
Chairperson,
International Federation
of Women Lawyers, Kogi
State Chapter and
Barrister Amina Adejoh,
member, International
Federation of Women
Lawyers, Kogi State.
As a prelude to the New
York conference, 15
years ago, officials of
159 governments and more
than 2,000
non-governmental
organizations (NCOS) and
over 40,000 participants
and observers met in
Beijing, China to
examine the state of
women at the global
level. Participants at
the Beijing meeting
described women
empowerment and equality
as a socio-economic and
political pillar to
global development.
The Beijing Platform for
Action (BPFA) to empower
women and eliminate all
forms of discrimination
against women was
unanimously adopted in
September, 1995. Women
empowerment has since
then become a
contentious policy
phenomenon of our
contemporary world as
codified in both the
Beijing Platform for
Action and subsequent
international
instruments and
Millennium Development
Goals (MDGS, 2000).
The New York conference
played host to
Government
representatives,
religious groups, women
and civil society
organizations who all
gathered at the United
Nations Headquarters to
take another look at
women affairs across the
globe. Colourful
traditional attires from
Africa to India, South
America to Asia, North
America to Russia were
the hallmark of the
historic occasion.
Hallways, elevators and
street corners in and
around the United
Nations Headquarters
were jammed packed with
global citizens.
National symbols and
Advocacy banners adorned
theUN environs
throughout the period.
At the New York
conference, it was
observed that despite
such historic
mobilization, the
contours and the
cross-road from Beijing
(1995) to New York
(2010) had not been an
easy one. It was the
general view of
participants across the
globe that women
continued to be
vulnerable to poverty,
violence and
discrimination, with the
resultant effect that
the gap between women
who constitute the
larger part of the
world's population, and
men has continued to
widen.
The question to ask,
amidst the United
Nations - sponsored
conferences and parallel
events organized by Non
-Governmental
Organizations (NGOs) and
Civil Society is, what
has been achieved thus
far? How far have the
womenfolk fared?
In answer to the
question above, the
adoption of the Beijing
platform for Action (BPFA)
in 1995 and the coming
into effect o the
Millennium Development
Goals (MDGS) in year
2000, the world
witnessed a
proliferation of
advocacies for the women
agenda across the global
arena. Several plans
were made to embede
these great
international legal
instruments into laws,
providing protection for
women, thus helping to
bridge the gender gap.
The United Nations'
Report on the world
social situation (2010)
could not have come at a
better time. Amidst a
global Financial crisis,
women have continued to
be at the receiving end
ravaged by relative
poverty. This
development is a cause
for alarm as the
implementation and
domestification of
international legal
covenants protecting
women continue to face
daunting challenges.
Such challenges as
argued at the historic
occasion of the
Conference by scholars,
policy analysts and
representatives of civil
society organizations
are attributed to lack
of political will as
well as cultural and
traditional constraints.
Apart from the problem
of political will,
culture and tradition
have made a shift of the
women agenda difficult,
and an enormous
challenge in both the
developing and developed
world. The patriarchal
nature off our societies
has brought to light the
compelling realities of
most modern societies.
From India to Africa,
and from the Americas to
Russia and Europe, male
dominance largely
encouraged by religion
and culture pose
daunting challenges to
the empowerment agenda
of women. This is a
historical mistake, a
religious contradiction
that needs to be
reversed.
In view of the religious
and cultural hurdles
confronting women
agenda, a contentious
challenge of educating
the girl-child brought
to light a compelling
global reality. In spite
of the progress echoed
by some civil society
organizations, achieving
the 2015 Millennium
Development Goals for
the girl-child remains a
dream in some countries.
More donor-fundings for
the adoption of
legislation and
mechanisms that support
girl-child education in
National Development
plans must be vigorously
explored - this should
be built around
frameworks that would
aggressively confront
corruption as an
undermining mechanism of
institutional
effectiveness. Just as
the sexual exploitation
and trafficking of the
girl-child is globally
confronted, so must the
education agenda take
the forefront of global
effort.
Economic and social
scientists have further
proved that
marginalization and
divisions within a
society diminish the
possibility of accessing
socio-economic and
socio-political
opportunities.
Notwithstanding all the
challenges faced by
women as enumerated
above, considerable
achievements have been
made in both the
developed and developing
world. Women leadership
and empowerment gained
currency all over the
world. The proliferation
of women leaders in the
United States, Europe,
Chile, Argentina,
Brazil, Rwanda, Ghana,
Nigeria, Liberia,
Senegal and the Gambia
are global strides which
most analysts regard as
the fallout of the
growth in the number of
girls who have access to
education across the
developing world.
Does this development
suggest that the gender
gap has been bridged, or
does it mean that Female
Gender Mutilation (FGM),
Forced Marriages, Rape
and Domestic Violence
have been effectively
curtailed, as argued by
pessimists of our times?
There is still a lot of
work to be done.
According to the United
Nations' report on the
World Social Situation
in 2010, women are still
subject of structural
exclusion in societies
and are perceived as
inferior and subordinate
to men. Women are
overrepresented among
people living in poverty
and suffer exclusion of
basic education,
landownership and
employment. That is why
equality issues should
be considered in
development programming.
Pushing the women agenda
requires both national
governments and civil
society organizations
working in partnership
across the globe.
Ratification of the
Convention on the
Elimination of all forms
of Discrimination
Against Women (CEDAW) by
the U.N as the global
political, social and
economic powerhouse will
positively shape the
women agenda across our
civilized world. It is
further important to
understand that for
African women to fully
realize the Beijing
Platform For Action (BPFA),
ratifying and
implementing the African
Union (AU) protocol on
the Rights of African
Women will further
concretize the Beijing
Platform For Action (BPFA)
adopted in 1995.
Year 2010 will be
remembered in history
for the Ratification of
CEDAW by the Obama
administration and
African Union (AU)
protocols on the rights
of African women by the
remaining African
nations.
As the United States
President Barack Obama
and his wife, Michelle
marked the International
Women's Day on 8th March
2010 at the White House,
Washington D.C., the
President stated thus:
“I'm very proud to have
appointed so many
brilliant women to so
many essential posts in
our government. But I'm
even prouder of what
each of them is doing -
and what all of us are
doing - to make life
better in America and
around the world,
because lifting up the
prospects of our
daughters will require
all of us doing our
parts. And that's why
we've established a new
white House Council on
women and girls chaired
by a Senior Advisor,
Valerie Jarrett, that
will help make sure that
every part of our
government is working to
address the challenges
faced by women and
girls. We're doing all
of this not only because
promoting women's
empowerment is one of
the best ways to promote
economic development and
economic success. We are
doing it because it's
the right thing to do. I
say that not only as a
President, but also as
the father of two
daughters, as a son and
a grandson and as a
husband.”
If we can borrow from
the 'speech of the
United States President
above, it will go a long
way in bringing justice
to our land. Let us
practise same rights,
same opportunities and
same dream within the
reach of our daughters
and sons alike. Let us
bring this dream within
the reach of our people
no matter their gender,
race or faith.
Mrs. Janet Makun,
Chairperson,
International Federation
of Women Lawyers, Kogi
State Chapter was a
participant at the
conference in New York,
USA.

Mrs. Makun and
Barr. (Miss) Amina Adejo
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