The training was organized by Lawyers Alert for journalists as part of a sensitization and advocacy drive within the media community. The objective is to educate journalists on the subject of SRHR and how they can effectively report violations of same and also getting the participants to cascade knowledge gained to other journalists.
Facilitators at the training were:
Rommy Mom, Esq. – President, Lawyers Alert.
2. Mrs. Abubakar Abubakar – Director, UNFPA.
3. Charles – Director, UNAIDS.
SRH, HIV & GENDER ISSUES IN NIGERIA
Facilitator – Zubaida Abubakar, UNFPA
Topic – “SRH, HIV and Gender Issues in Nigeria.” (Focus: Key Populations)
She began by acknowledging the vital role journalists play as watchdogs of the society in ensuring the protection of Human Rights. “We need to engage the media,” she enthused, “our work is based on evidence. Children and girls are mostly victims of SRHR violations. They are victims of rape, violence, etc. We have to educate them and the media can help achieve this.”
To buttress her claims that children and teenage girls were the most vulnerable in terms of SRHR violations, Mrs. Abubakar reinforced her facts with statistics shown below:
In Nigeria, girls particularly between the ages of 18-22 years of age are likely to get pregnant before marriage. The North has a preponderance of early marriage.
Female hawkers are particularly vulnerable to rape.
Owing to poverty, religious and cultural issues, girls are married off at the young ages of 9-22. They are most at risk of HIV and Vesico-Vaginal Fistula, a condition that frequently occurs when underage girls give birth. Nigeria has up to 600,000 cases of VVF. Girls with the condition tend to be stigmatised and isolated.
47.6% of illiterate girls get pregnant early. They have no idea of the use of contraceptives.
Maternal and child mortality rate is high in Nigeria: For every 100,000 births, 576 infants die, while approximately 111 of the mothers die in childbirth.
Consequences
On the consequences of the violations of the SRHR of girls, Mrs. Abubakar pointed out that:
There is no opportunity for their being educated (attending school).
The vicious cycle of poverty is continued.
They are isolated.
25% of the girls whose SRHR are violated contribute nothing to the economy.
What to Address
On what to address, Mrs. Abubakar explained
Girls should be kept in school to discourage child marriage.
Girls who do not get formal education should be empowered through vocational skills.
The health and well-being of children should be prioritised.
Girls should be trained in the use of contraceptives.
There should be a conducive environment for children and girls.
Keepers of the traditional institutions should be enagaged in these efforts to obtain their support which could in turn influence parents to change their beliefs.
Children and girls should be given comprehensive HIV education.
Young people should be co-opted into the information dissemination process.
Social could also be a useful tool in this effort.
UNFPA Projects
On the projects being carried out by UNFPA, Mrs. Abubakar noted:
4,150 are being supported with the help of Canada. In Nigeria’s North, UNFPA provides support in the education sector. In Lagos (the suburbs of Lagos State), out of school children are being supported by training them in vocational work. 270 of the girls were able to impact 20,000 others.
Campaign launched last year to end child marriage in Nigeria.
A forum was set up to educate various communities on the negative effects of early marriage.
UNFPA collaborates with local NGOs to carry out their work with ongoing projects in Kaduna and Kebbi States.
Support is being provided for girls suffering from VVF
EFFORTS AT ENHANCING SRHR REPORTAGE IN NIGERIA
Facilitator – Charles, UNAIDS
Topic – “Efforts at Enhancing SRHR Reportage in Nigeria.”
Mr. Charles introduced a five-page news report culled from The Associated Press, which he distributed to all participants titled: “Rampaging Sudan Troops Raped Foreigners, Killed Locals.” Using the news report as a yardstick for measuring reports on SRHR, he asked participants to read the report and critique.
Most participants condemned the detailed style of reporting. They were of the view that The Associated Press was so detailed in the reportage that within days of publication, Sudanese citizens were able to identify victim of the gang rape perpetrated by 15 South Sudanese soldiers.
A participant, (a female journalist with the Daily Trust), was of the view that the victim’s identity ought to have been protected in line with the ethics of the profession. Though her name was withheld, the description of the location and the race of the victim, were so vivid that Sudanese citizens had no problem identifying the victim.
A few of the participants, however, had a dissenting opinion. One of them was of the view that the detailed reportage was what led to further investigations.
The Facilitator left the critiquing to the professionals only pointing out the following issues:
The news is about sexual violence in the context of armed conflict.
Giving tips (reports) to journalists helps with exposing SRHS violations.
HUMAN RIGHTS DIMENSION
Facilitator – Rommy Mom (Lawyers Alert President)
Topic – “Human Rights Dimension on Violations of SRHR,”
Citing the cases of the FSWs in Abuja and the suspected gay people in Gishiri village, in Abuja, Lawyers Alert intervened, Mr. Mom emphasized the need to protect key affected populations. To buttress his point, he cited the case of a Customs Officer who was accused of theft in a market in Jalingo, Adamawa state and subsequently beaten to death. It was only after the mob action that his identity was revealed.
Mr. Mom rounded off his session with a quote he once saw in a prison in a prison he visited. The placard read: “A society is judged by how it treats the weakest among them.”
QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION
The issue of homosexuality in Nigeria is a touchy one especially since the country has enacted laws criminalising same sex relationship and marriage. It was no wonder therefore that the following questions came up:
Q – “If I heard you clear, you mean you offer free legal services to homosexuals?”
Rommy Mom – “Yes, if we offer 10 free legal services to victims of SRHR violations, including homosexuals.”
Q – “How do you marry this with the Nigerian laws which prohibit homosexuality?”
M – “Years ago, in Gishiri village, a pastor mobilised a mob to attack some persons alleged to be homosexuals. They broke into their houses, assaulted them, took them to the police station, and they were detained. This to the Pastor and his believers was in keeping with the law. We urge you however to examine the process. It is an offence to break into a persons’ home, assault the person etc. Yet we choose to ignore this. It is so much as the law, the process. We don’t violate rights, in getting to the end of the law. Lawyers Alert is about rights of ALL. Remember again, it is the court that determines culpability at the end of the day. The law does not permit any person to break the doors of people on ground of suspicion of being homosexual. It is the court that will determine the guilt of any person alleged to have committed a crime. Homosexuals, like other groups be they Female Sex workers, Persons Living With HIV, Persons who use Drugs etc are the vulnerable people in the society. How we treat and relate with them is different with coloration of stigma and discrimination. Ours is to focus on the rights of these key population groups.”
Q – “Do you also offer services to children and victims of domestic violence?”
M – “Yes, we offer free legal services to children and victims of domestic violence. A 10-year old girl was raped recently. Her mother could not afford to pay transport fare. We offered her free legal services and we also paid for her transport fares.”
WAY FORWARD
On way forward, all participants agreed that:
We should keep journalist informed as journalists are human beings and not ghosts that should know everything that happens in the society.
Outcome of meetings should be shared. It could be visual, audio or text.
Lawyers Alert could organise meetings to keep journalists informed.
CONCLUSION
Mr. Mom thanked all participants and assured them that the training just held was just one of many more to be held, and that from time to time, Lawyers Alert will hold refresher trainings for those in attendance.