Penning down unpleasant facts–realities that should come to an end–comes with lots of grief and sorrow. So, maybe because I am a girl and I should be weak as the prevailing perception has been about us.
My eyes are weary, full of tears and weakness.
But no! We are strong and brave and courageous. One may dismiss me as being biased, but oh well, let me be biased in the fight against discrimination. Let me wear the bias tag for saying no to sexual violence against women. I would proudly accept to be labeled as bias as I fight for that equal power to exercise our rights equally.
My heart indeed bleeds this morning, looking at all the discrimination against women around the world. We are all humans and it is not our fault that we came the ways we are. Equally so, we all have one flesh and one blood and we are proud to be called women!
I write not only on behalf of the West African Sub-region, neither do I write merely because I want people to read me. Let our rights be seen! Let our power be felt and let our respect be given. We have also been the victims, the mostly marginalized in society. Everywhere, every part of the world, we are faced with tension, humiliation, frustration and unending violence from our co-humans. What a sad world.
Today, there’s one major reason why we keep facing discrimination and all the worst of violence in this world. It just one huge reason. And that is, women are not fully represented in critical decision-making processes around the world.
There is a need to look at this situation from around the world and take huge steps; a need for the world to hear our cry and help us through. We have always been under those back-ward roles society has placed us in. Indeed, there is a call for the promotion of full representation in every sector of society!
Many may not have the strength to push their pens because they are now in the sandi bushes, being objects of rituals on their psychic and physique. Some are crying and want to push their pens but it just seems so impossible because they are just 13 years old and given to the hands of their grandfathers in marriage.
At the same time some are facing death—or fighting for life–because they have grotesquely been violated over and again sexually with no justice. A wake up call indeed to the world, this is. But oh well, we must step forth to try our best to push the pens they are unable to push! We will cry those cries and we will hopefully win this fight together.
It is a pity to humanity. We are all one flesh and blood no matter the pants we were, no matter our body structures. We have only one blood running through our veins and that is the red blood with one human flesh. We deserve better and the time is not tomorrow; it is now!
We are grateful for the United Nations, Plan International, and other prominent organizations that stand in the frontline in helping a whole lot in ending violence against women and all forms of discrimination. We are grateful for measures they have putting in place in making things work for the sake of humanity.
We are grateful and honored and we must say that those ideas and things done are all good. It feels so worst taking up your time, resources and energy doing something that yields little results and, even at times, no result at all.
For sure, you would love to try means and measures that are even more efficacious as long as there the passion for what you do, what you stand for, and what you believe in, keeps burning. We all should be innovative and take more chances by trying other means of promoting these goals, dreams, and aspiration.
The sad reality is the case of Africa, where we have Plan International branches, the UNICEF, Save the children, and other none governmental organizations, but yet still we have a soaring rate of discrimination and sexual violence. Every year, millions of girls get thrust into marriage before they reach the age of 18.
Child birth is on the increase, leading millions to death in and around Africa. Our kids still die under the scalpel, they get robbed of education and they get discriminated against at their work places.
I opine that full participation of women in every sector and major areas of decision making that governs the states makes for the panacea to end this anomaly.
When women get involved, it would be way much better and easier for us all. It would easily become a world-changing situation. This will ensure informed decision-making. We are thus calling on people of goodwill all over the world to promote women political participation in every sector.
Things would become easier. In that scenario, no discriminatory laws would easily be passed against us. When women are fully actors in the decision-making process, humanity will head somewhere positive in curbing this violence and discrimination issue.
Plan international is now running “Because I am a girl” campaign around the world, spreading the good news of girl’s education, participation. Likewise, other non-governmental organizations are also up in arms in this fight.
We nevertheless see that the crimes that we preach against are just on the high increase. This is only because we have low presentation within the major decision-making areas of society.
Taking the case of West Africa, specifically Liberia, we still have girls leaving schools due to many reasons including ongoing mutilation practices in the name of tradition. Every year, we have over 500 girls raped and women widely discriminated against.
Assessing the balance in representation in our governance system we see that in the Upper House (the House of Senate) out of 30 senators, we have only 3 women, so disappointingly inadequate. How could laws be passed that will get women out of such bondage?
How is it possible for the voices of three women not to be drowned by those of twenty seven men? How then can well informed laws be successfully passed in the general interest that will take us from grass to grace?
Normally most of the minds of those men are already fixed about women belonging in the kitchen. Even worse, some hold some hold political reasons their lack of interest in not wanting to support the enlightenment and success of women. Such narrow inclination is driven by the fear of losing the support of their tradition leaders.
This is more than pitiful and we are asking the world to stand up and help us support full political participation of women in every sector that matters and that of huge decision-making process.
The scenario in the Liberian Lower House (the House of Representatives) is not much different. Here, with a total membership of seventy three Representatives, we have less than ten women. How would laws in the interest of women be passed when most of those men do not fully appreciate the plight of women and may not effectively help to confront abuse and assaults that girls under age suffer? There is even suspicion that some of these men may themselves have some gory closets that they don’t want to open.
And so I say at the top of my voice that there is a need for the world to come to our aid. There is a need that the world sees it necessary to promote female political participation.
Yea, our NGOs’ are doing great, but those laws that govern the state should be made by all, with full women participation.
Hellen Sande Momoh, Contributing Writer
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