Women
Ending Violence Against Women (II) … Some Practices That Constitute Violence
Harmful traditional/customary practices – These are · Customary discrimination in property inheritance and acquisition.
· Harmful widowhood practices – for example, shaving of head, wearing of mourning clothes (black), not bathing with water and soap for some period of time, drinking bath water of late husband. These are inhuman, degrading and humiliating treatments and sometimes the widow is not allowed to remarry the person of her choice.
· Female genital mutilation/cutting – A harmful practice which lowers the self-esteem of women and the girl child and causes great pain and ill health medically. The reason for this is based on the idea the inferiority or superiority of the sexes or stereotyped roles for men and women as prescribed by custom.
· Early/child marriages or forced marriages – this is prominent in the Northern part of Nigeria (Hausas) were marriage to a minor or pre-adolescent girls are considered lawful i.e. girls who have not started menstruation are allowed to marry which pose health problems to these married children. Happily, in recent times the trend is moving toward a more acceptable standard.
· Customary ideas of divorce, separation or annulment of marriage-traditionally a girl child is given out in marriage on sale, so to speak. She is bound to endure all forms of despicable treatment that could be meted on her by her husband in her matrimonial home with little or no choice of a divorce or separation. Even under extreme physical or emotional abuse (wife beating, adultery willful non supported is proved against the husband, some customs prohibit the women from separation or divorce. She is considered a chattel (goods or property) of her husband to be used and dropped at will without equal right of the woman to do so. While not undermining the advantages of a lasting marriage, we say that this is abuse and violation of the woman’s right as prescribed for and protected even by our creator and originator of marriage, Jehovah God.
· Discrimination and preference of boy child over the girl child.
Lack of Education/Training – a research statistics has it that over 110 million of the world’s children, two thirds of them girls, are not in school. And of the world’s 875 million illiterate adults, two thirds are women.
Illiteracy among women and girl children is alarming. Traditionally, it is the girl child who is allowed to remain at home to help their mother while the boys go to school and play thereafter. Educating a girl child was once viewed as a waste of resources. So while the girl child is engaged in domestic activities at home with her mother for the benefit of the whole family, the boys are schooled receiving formal education. For example, in the legal profession, we have very few women competing with the men, reason being that the profession was once viewed and believed to be a man’s thing. This situation plays itself out even in this 21st century where we still see and hear even mothers at home assigning domestic chores to their girl children because it is as they say a girl’s work. Seeing a man cook, shop and clean the home is regarded as a letdown. He is often called a woman’s wrapper, or one who has been bewitched by his wife.
The list is endless.
Effects On Women
The sad outcome of some of these cases of violence against women results to-
· All forms of discrimination against women
· Poverty which impoverishes them.
· Lack of confidence and trust on the society
· Loss of dignity-one dictionary defines dignity as the quality or state of being worthy, honored or esteemed. Human dignity therefore involves both the way we view ourselves and the way others deal with us. While there are a variety of factors that can affect our feelings about ourselves, the way others view or treat us plays a large role in our sense of personal value in our day to day life. While women have been identified to fall into the poor, defenseless and vulnerable group, being in such circumstances does not necessarily diminish their sense of personal dignity, it is the attitude and reaction of others that constitutes an affront to their dignity.
· Women suffer inequality and marginalization at the workplace and are disempowered and impoverished and cannot participate in public life.
· Even with multiplicity of legal instruments, because enforcement has not commenced from the home and communities, women continue to suffer in silence with little way out.
· Women are in grief because no one seems to hear their cry for help due to the culture of silence promoted by our customs or traditions.
· Women become targets and objects of all sorts of physical and emotional abuse, exploitation, objects of fear and shame in the society.
· Part of health problems
· Children at risk of health problems, performance/and behavioral problems.
Recommendations
· Support the campaign to end violence against women by speaking up any where you can be heard.
· Help to bring perpetrator to account.
· Support FIDA to give voice to the passenger of meaningful laws that will ensure and implement the rights of the women/child help. The implementation by not being a victim yourself.
· Partner with us in our sensitization workshop, trainings, and advocacy from time to time.
· Support to disseminate positive information about our campaigns and educate the public through the mass media when necessary.
· Our husbands, fathers, uncles, brothers and mothers, stop the exploitation of your sisters, mothers, wives and daughters but support their roles as women.
· Above all love for others will help us to apply the counsel of our Lord Jesus Christ who once said in the Holy Bible – “do to others you will want them do to you”.
Boma Kingson Enyingwa
IVY-K Fashion by Igiebor Daddy Lucky, a Nigerian-born designer now based in the UK, has launched the latest menswear line, Dapper Man.
One of the collection’s strengths is its classic, clean aesthetic. Dapper Man delivers sharp, structured suits in a timeless black and white color scheme that exudes a sense of luxury and professionalism. The use of high-quality fabrics like wool and silk ensures that the suits not only look high-end but also feel luxurious to the wearer. The designer’s focus on detail is evident in the meticulous tailoring, with fitted blazers and crisp trousers forming the foundation of the collection.
Where IVY-K Fashion shines is in the subtle yet elegant touches. The inclusion of beads as embellishments on lapels and cuffs adds a unique flair, blending traditional craft with modern tailoring. This nod to African heritage gives the collection a distinct identity, offering something more personal and culturally significant than your standard menswear line.
However, despite the elegance of the Dapper Man collection, there is a lingering sense of missed opportunity. The black-and-white color palette, while classic, feels overly safe. In a fashion landscape where bold colors and daring patterns often make the strongest impact, the collection could benefit from incorporating more vibrant hues or experimenting with unconventional fabrics. Pushing the envelope with color or texture could elevate these designs from simply elegant to truly memorable.
In addition, while the tailoring of the blazers and trousers is immaculate, the collection lacks a sense of playfulness or modern edge that many contemporary menswear lines are embracing. The suits are undoubtedly stylish, but the collection as a whole leans heavily on tradition. Experimenting with asymmetrical cuts, bold patterns, or even layering could add an exciting dimension to Dapper Man. The challenge is to maintain the sleek sophistication of the collection while infusing it with a fresh, innovative spirit.
Another area that could use improvement is the overall cohesion of the collection. While the suits are well-crafted, there is a feeling of repetition across the pieces. More variation in design, such as different lapel styles, pocket configurations, or even bolder accessories, would give the collection greater diversity and visual interest.
In conclusion, Dapper Man by Igiebor Daddy Lucky showcases the designer’s strong grasp of classic tailoring and elegant design, but to truly capture the attention of a broader audience, IVY-K Fashion would benefit from more daring choices. By infusing the collection with bold colors, unexpected textures, and a more modern edge, Dapper Man could move from a well-crafted line to a trendsetting force in men’s fashion. With such a solid foundation, there’s no doubt that Igiebor Daddy Lucky has the potential to lead his brand toward greater heights
The trend of indecent dressing all in the name of fashion is fast becoming a norm in our generation and society at large. Most married women embrace this fashion as competition with single ladies.
Different scholars have given an in depth insight about dressing as a tool of communication. Non-verbal communication has been asserted as the communication between people by the means of signs or symbols. It conveys what we wish to disseminate to the public as either intentionally or not.
According to Paul Ekman and Michael Argyle, communication is carried out through what has been classified as “Presentational Code”. He listed nine codes of non-verbal communication, as body contact, facial expression, gestures, postures, eye movement, proximity, orientation, head nods and appearance.
This, being stated, married and single ladies should understand that their mode of dressing is communicative be it directly or indirectly as such body parts we call “private” are now being made public because of the trends or wearing of transparent dresses and this in turn calls on the attention of men who are weak and prone to illicit thoughts thus, resulting to most rape cases in our society.
This indecent dressing by most ladies has denied many their future husbands. The truth is that a man is attracted to his kind; his desires in marriage. It is often asserted that decency and beauty are in the eyes of the beholder, yet, in trending times of this 21st century, dress code and fashion in nudity form is gaining popularity.
This has become complicated as most men tend to toggle between their emotions (lust) and sanity (rationality) in terms of marriage, thereby setting a wrong foundation upon which most marriages are consummated.
On the other hand, most married women have embraced the trend of indecent dressing nipping it on the state of it being the choice dressing, approved by their spouses, leaving society with the question of what “responsible” man would prefer that the secrecy of the benefit of his marital vow has become the centre of attraction and viewership by the general public.
Hence, communicating with their dressing gas given licence to every male gender who is interested or attracted to what they see to make unsolicited sexual passes at them, which might be considered embarrassing.
At this juncture, it is important to state that ladies should dress decently knowing that they are the epitome of nation-building, they are nation-builders, character moulders and pacesetters not just in the lives of their families but to the society at large.
In most occasions, there are no clear border lines between the married women and the single ladies because of the rate of scanty dressing which has close the gap of differences.
Women and girls should embrace this call awakening to decent mode of dressing. Dresses that are meant to be worn indoors should remain indoors.
It is worrisome to see ladies wear shorts that are supposed to be worn in the living room on the streets without shame. This is an awakening call to our ladies, married and singles that the opposite sex do not expose their private body parts for the public. Sometimes, the ladies go about in the streets without wearing brazziers as to showcase their nipples.
The society should be sanitised of the menace of indecent dressing that is lurking and taking over the entire nooks and crannies of the society and the nation at large.
Let it be known that he or she is addressed in the manner he or she is dressed. There may be no room for a second impression. To the single ladies, your dressing decently will not stop you from meeting your Mr Right rather, it will increase your stake and place you on the list of most valued women in the society.
Dressing speaks louder than words.
Kate Chisom Isiocha
Isiocha is an OND final year student of Temple Gate Polytechnic.
