Perspectives on gender equality, empowerment

Adeze Ojukwu

The call for gender equity and women empowerment is resonating worldwide. Reasons for this feminine revolution are myriad.

Recurring data, as well as security evidence and media reports, clearly indicate increasing cases of gender-related violations and threats.

Many women, across the world are inundated by domestic violence and existential challenges.

Undoubtedly, some countries have recorded significant progress, but most nations have failed woefully to protect and empower women.

However, the United Nations agencies along with activists, have continued to urge governments and political leaders, to support the ‘Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly.’

As ‘an international bill of rights for women, its primary objective is ‘to incorporate the principle of equality of men and women in their legal system and abolish all discriminatory laws.’

Parties are also expected ‘to establish tribunals and other public institutions to ensure the effective protection of women against discrimination,’ and ‘ensure elimination of all acts of discrimination against women by persons, organizations or enterprises.’

Given the lackadaisical attitude of many countries, the urgency to enlist ‘millions of people to stand on the right side of history, is a universal task,’ is urgent and inevitable.

Cheerily several activists, leaders, innovators, change-makers are working every day to build an equal future, with a simple message. ‘Get inspired. Be the change.’
Their compelling views and voices on this gripping campaign, are captured below.

Prof Okonjo-Iweala, Director General, World Trade Organization(WTO)
‘Investing in women is smart economics, and investing in girls, catching them upstream is even smarter economics.’

‘Get anyone you know talking about gender stereotypes. These false assumptions cannot survive being held up to the light of day. There is no right way to be a woman leader. Be true to yourself.’

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Multiple award-winning author and feminist

‘My own definition is a feminist is a man or a woman who says, yes, there’s a problem with gender as it is today and we must fix it, we must do better. All of us, women and men, must do better.’

‘I have chosen to no longer be apologetic for my femaleness and my femininity. And I want to be respected in all of my femaleness because I deserve to be.’

‘A woman at a certain age who is unmarried, our society teaches her to see it as a deep personal failure. And a man, after a certain age isn’t married, we just think he hasn’t come around to making his pick.

‘We teach girls shame: Close your legs. Cover yourself.” We make them feel as though being born female they’re already guilty of something. And so, girls grow up to be women who cannot say they have desire.’

‘They grow up to be women who silence themselves. They grow up to be women who cannot say what they truly think. And they grow up — and this is the worst thing we do to girls — they grow up to be women who have turned pretense into an art form.’

Amina Muhammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General

‘I do not accept a world that tells my granddaughters that economic equality can wait for their granddaughter’s granddaughters. We are falling behind in achieving the promise to ‘leave no one behind.

We say that youth are the future, and yet youth unemployment is at record highs. And where is the leap forward we promised women and girls?’

‘Let me tell you about one young woman I met in Chad by the name of Halima. She was a child bride – married off to a member of a horrific extremist group. She was brainwashed into becoming a suicide bomber. She ultimately escaped that fate but not before she watched two of her friends blown up.’

‘Halima’s experience exposed, in the most tragic way, the interconnection between inequality, peace and security and basic human rights.

All of the key decisions about her life — her education, her marriage, even her death — were made for her. Now, with support, she’s getting her life back on track. But this denial of rights is being exploited every single day.

And it’s people like Halima we need to keep foremost in our minds as we think about the left behind. The 2030 Agenda is your agenda. It’ s our agenda. It’s Halima’s agenda.’

Mary Beth Leonard, United States (US) Ambassador

‘Here in Africa, the connection between entrepreneurship and women’s empowerment is even more pronounced: African women are twice as likely to start a business than women anywhere else in the world.’

‘We know there is a very strong correlation between women’s empowerment and peace. When women are empowered economically, they invest in their families and communities, spurring economic growth and creating more stable societies.’

Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director, UN Women

‘When we address racial discrimination and prejudice, we must take a feminist, intersectional approach in our fight for human rights.’

‘#COVID19 has exposed and accelerated existing gender inequalities. The #GenerationEquality Forum is our chance to make a difference.’

Pauline Tallen, Minster of Women Affairs

‘It is almost disheartening to note that while we are confronting these obstacles to increase advocacy, the entertainment industry which has a large followership of young minds, continues to indirectly support the abuse of the female body as a sex object through vulgar lyrics and employment of female dancers in compromising customs.’

‘We appeal to producers and writers to support us so that together we can ensure that Nigerian society is able to guarantee an environment where girls and women are able to make choices about their bodies without the fear of violence or having someone else decide for them.’

‘Government will not relent and would continue to provide an enabling environment for the state and non-state actors in the eradication of violence and abuse of women.’

‘This is why we are calling on all the remaining 12 states to domesticate the Child Rights Act of 2003 and the 18 states yet to domesticate the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act, 2015 to immediately do so.’

Ms. Ulla Muella, UNFPA Representative in Nigeria

‘Only 46 per cent of married women in Nigeria are able to make decisions freely on their sexual and reproductive health. In Nigeria, among married women between the ages of 15 to 49, 46 per cent are able to make decisions regarding their sexual and reproductive health and rights.”

Emma Watson, British actress

At a very young age, Emma Watson became a feminist icon practically by default when she was cast as the brilliant, inspiring Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films.

‘I am from Britain and think it is right that as a woman I am paid the same as my male counterparts. I think it is right that I should be able to make decisions about my own body.

I think it is right that women be involved on my behalf in the policies and decision-making of my country. I think it is right that socially I am afforded the same respect as men.

But sadly I can say that there is no one country in the world where all women can expect to receive these rights. No country in the world can yet say they have achieved gender equality.”

‘The removal of the sexist social expectations that come with gender inequality would be freeing and beneficial to everyone.

‘Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong.’

‘Feminism is not about us convincing you that gender equality is worth engaging in only because there might be something in it for you, or in it for your sister or your mother.

The question is, what’s in it for humans? Happier, healthier, more successful children? Being able to take proper paternity leave and see your baby? Getting to crowdsource all the innovation and genius in the world, not just half of it?

A highly increased number of safe, confident and fulfilled people on the planet, particularly women? World peace? Seriously. World peace!”

Sia Kukaewkasem, Thai activist

‘The COVID-19 global pandemic is difficult for everyone, but this crisis hits harder where social protection is thinner.’

‘Migrant women were already one of the most vulnerable groups in our society, and now with the pandemic, their lives have gotten more difficult, especially for those who are experiencing domestic violence. We say, ‘stay home and be safe,’ but what if home is where she feels unsafe?’

‘I grew up watching my father abuse my mother. No one did anything to intervene. That might be why I’m doing what I’m doing today. A world without violence starts with our voice and action.’

.Ojukwu wrote this treatise to support rights of girls and women in society.