30/11/2020
16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM
2020 has been the year of awakening because we needed to rest to see. This year we saw the r**e cases of Uwa, Tina, Barakat, Jennifer and several others whose names are unknown but who share a hurt too grave to express with mere words. If ever there was a time to fight Gender Based Violence (GBV), it’s now, in 2020.
When we hear of GBV, most times people think it’s just about women getting r**ed or beaten and you'd hear conversations by those who clamor for "modesty" with apparel or those who say "You know say this women dey too get mouth" but in all of this we see just a part, a very small part of the problem that we all actually face.
Most of us tweeted and marched for and we have been vocal about the abuse of power we suffer at the hands of the government but do not see that it is the same reasons that causes this abuse that also causes domestic violence, r**e, and all other GBV. A man who sees no wrong in beating his wife almost unto death or ra**ng and murdering a young woman would have no resolve in torturing and/or killing another human who he believes by virtue of some status, power or authority which he possesses makes the other inferior to him. Martin Luther's words that says
'A threat to justice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere'
rings true every day. The demon we don't cast out in our neighbors home would soon send for companions to occupy ours.
To put it in plain words, GBV is a collective problem because at the core of it is the problem of one person feeling and acting upon a perceived superior right to another person’s body, morality or voice yet when it involves women, we argue about the 'whys' that justify it but fail to see the bias and hypocrisy of it all.
What does all this mean to say, it simply is that GBV isn't just a matter for women, it's a matter that concerns all of us because if there is one thing we can count on evil to do, it is its ability to multiply. It is sad that we even have to appeal to people’s innate desire for self-preservation to give value to the pain of another but we can no longer choose silence or the shame game, when we see any Gender Based Violence. Until every person; even those you may not agree with or like are treated with dignity, respect and value, we would never leave in a sane and safe world.
We must all lend our voice to ending GBV because it isn't just a women's problem, it's a human problem. We as a people need to be deliberate in what we teach and show the world by what we speak about and what we choose to be silent on. When we remain silent or refuse to fight the systems that abuse women, we in essence tell others that we tolerate it and it is okay, which it is not.
With the 16 days of activism which started on the 25th of November, I employ you to speak up, take a step; talk with that neighbor who is being abused, create schemes that aid the living of those who have been abused. We have to actively call out evil so it doesn’t get comfortable enough to procreate.
