International Women’s Month in Nigeria started on shaky grounds due to tension carried over from the previous month after several viral cases of rape allegations and online bullying of women in what has been termed a targeted attack on feminists and women’s rights in the country.
The Source Of Ever-Growing Gender-Related Tension
After the highly publicized case of a model and her friend, whom a photographer raped, went viral in February, Nigerian women took to the internet to call for justice not only for the women in the viral story but for women in general due to the increasing percentage of women who face sexual harassment and assault in the country.
This case was followed by another rape allegation from a minor, Mirabel, who claimed she had been raped at home and, traumatized, had tried to end her life. The internet’s quick response to Mirabel’s claims was likely due to the proximity of this case to that of a model, also a victim of sexual abuse that month. This helped save Mirabel’s life, but her ordeal didn’t end there; she faced bullying, harassment, and a false accusation.
February was not the end of the tension between the two genders, in what many have termed a “gender war,” as this carried on into March, the International Women’s Month, a month set out to celebrate women and their accomplishments.
What Happened in International Women’s Month?
March started with women calling out the vitriol and cyberbullying that women like Simi, Hauwa, and many other known activists for women have faced at the hands of men who attempted to shut down women who speak against any form of sexual or domestic abuse, with the tag line of “What about false rape accusations?”
- Rape Vs False Rape Accusations
The conversation on rape accusations vs. false rape accusations has existed on X (Twitter) for many years, with men insisting that false accusations make it difficult for women who are victims to be believed. Women argue that even in cases of rape accusations with ‘evidence’ presented, the victims are still bullied into silence by not just people on the internet but by law enforcement, who instead focus on shaming the victims or asking them to forgive their abusers.
The bullying faced by Simi and other women in the entertainment industry who have called out rape has made women refuse to believe that the conversation on ‘false rape accusations’ is done in good faith; instead, it is seen as a distraction from the high statistics of women who are sexually abused and the low numbers of those who are actually prosecuted, which is a low 2.9% conviction rate.
- The Ozoro ‘Rape’ Festival
The horror persisted for women when, on the 19th of March, videos of women being assaulted and harassed by large groups of men began to circulate on the internet. Stories of what was tagged a “rape festival” in Delta State, Ozoro, framed a picture of a terrifying scene where women were once again victims of sexual violence perpetuated by men.
Although the general conversation around the ‘Rape Festival’ saw both Nigerian women and men calling out the horror of a festival that restricted the movements of women and also made them victims of sexual violence, this unity did not last long, and soon after, they dug into an argument with both sides on opposite ends again.
- The Insistence of the ‘Not All Men’ Chant
The insistence of men on calling out the idea that “all men are a danger to women” and women stating that it was unfair to expect women to exclude any man forces a conversation on the inconsistency of focusing on the harm of generalization. At the same time, the statistics of gender-based violence continue to show that the generalization is not far-fetched, with one out of three women being victims of gender-based violence.
- ‘Men in Women’s Field’ Trend
The arguments quickly shifted to men doing what they termed “men in women’s field.” They claimed the trend was a harmless joke. Still, it soon received questions when it quickly moved into the territory of men making mockery of the tweets women make when they are sexually assaulted or harassed, and instead claiming, “All women are rapists.”
The trajectory of these conversations and the inconsistent nature of the unity between both genders have raised questions among people about whether there will ever be a time when both genders acknowledge their strengths and weaknesses and are united in the face of gender-based violence.
What are the possible solutions to end gender divisions in Nigeria?
There are no definitive solutions to ending gender-based violence; instead, there are preventative methods that can help both genders move past the division, which does more harm than good.
- Educating Young People on Gender-Based Violence
Education on gender-based violence and teaching the importance of respect towards either women or men is a key component in preventing cases of sexual violence or domestic violence that impact both genders. When children are educated on the dangers of participating in gender-based discrimination or violence, it contributes to reducing the statistics.
- Instilling values of allyship with men and young boys
A great preventative measure is teaching men to see women as equals and to value maintaining allyship with women. Teaching them the importance of equality cuts down the chances of engaging in toxic behaviors or contributing to the patriarchal culture that feeds gender-based violence
- Creating legal policies
The lack of legal policies and institutional structures against gender-based discrimination also has an impact on the growing discord between men and women in Nigeria. When legal policies are created to protect women who face harassment or discrimination, and women can trust that their complaints will be taken seriously, it creates a more secure environment for them and the men around them.
- Encouraging long-term prevention methods against gender roles
One of the major contributing factors to the discord between men and women is gender roles and gender norms made systematic by the patriarchy. For women and men to eventually move past the ‘gender war,’ there has to be effective and long-term work on dismantling gender roles imposed by the systematic movement of the patriarchy.
- Empower women and girls
The most important factor in the fight against gender inequality is empowering women and girls. Women often complain about how much harder they have to work to earn as much as men. In some parts of the world, women are not allowed the right to education or are married off early; to combat this, there have to be things put in place to empower women and ensure that the gap is bridged and both genders have equal opportunities.
What do we think?
The conversations, vitriol, and violence that women have faced in the past few months have contributed to a never-ending debate on the issue of misogyny that feminists preach against, especially during this International Women’s Month.
These conversations and the bullying faced by women who speak against it make the probability of unity between both genders extremely low. However, if more emphasis is placed on ensuring preventative measures are taken in the fight to reduce gender-based violence, then there will be more unity between both genders, and with the current generation working more on the preventative methods, the unity we crave may come soon.
