HOW MUCH RIGHTS DO WOMEN REALLY HAVE?

Barely two weeks ago, the world watched us celebrate International Women's Day. The theme was #givetogain. It was viral.

A few days ago, the world was introduced to a "raping festival" in Nigeria. You read that correctly. Women were asked to stay indoors, and anyone who defaulted was exposed to the most gruesome, humiliating abuse imaginable. Let me say that again. Women were illegally ordered to not exercise their rights to freedom of movement and personal liberty, guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the African Charter on Human and People's Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. If they insisted on exercising these rights, they would be sexually assaulted.

One day we'll talk about pregnant children, child brides, 20-year-olds with four kids, and how one in every three women who will read this post has been or will be sexually harassed or assaulted at least once in their lifetimes. For now, I have questions. How long has this "tradition" been going on for? How many women have been victims since the inception of this "tradition"? How have these men been justifying this barbarism? Is it the same way they've been justifying sexual abuse outside the context of "tradition"? By blaming the victims for leaving their homes the same way they've blamed other victims for their choice of clothes? Do women truly have a place in domestic and international law? How long must injustice against women be allowed to endure? Will this feminist struggle ever end? I would honestly like to know.

#internationalwomensday #womeninlaw #womeninpolitics #WomenInLeadership#refusetoretreat #BernardineImpactTrust #law #lawyer #humanrights #nonprofit #ngo#unitednations #un #unhrc #ohchr #ungeneva #politics #legalliteracy #legalservices #givetogain