Skip to main content

Monsters amongst us

Drawing of a woman shedding a tear with head bowed as though in contemplation
Image: UNDP

One in three women globally, around 736 million, have been subjected to physical or sexual violence in their lifetimes, according to new analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO). What a damning statistic and what a searing indictment of men as perpetrators of such evil against women; indeed an indictment on a society that has failed women.

Many of the obnoxious acts carried out against women are etched in centuries of culture where women are regarded as subservient, second-class citizens. And unfortunately our systems have evolved far too slowly to disavow this appalling societal malady. A truly global scourge more pronounced in low-income countries and conflict regions but eerily represented even in the most sophisticated of nations. Violence against women according to the WHO report starts at an early age; the most heinous assault on the purity and foundation of our humanity.

How have we allowed this sinful malaise to persist for so long? What lies at the heart of its wicked perpetuation over time? We might find a toxic masculinity that is handed down from generation to generation. A continuously tolerated egregious false sense of entitlement and mistaken belief in what it means to be a man. Who is rearing these monsters of humankind who falsely believe they are men? Have we been guilty of enabling abusive conditions and relationships towards women? We all have a responsibility to do better, be better and to disown this shameful legacy in place.

Teach a boy to be a man, not a monster masquerading as a man.

To report sexual and domestic abuse cases in Lagos, contact the ‘Domestic & Sexual Violence Response Team’, 08000333333, @DSVRT, dsvrtlagoss.org. You can also send ‘HELP’ to 6820.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Billion Dollar Story

Image: Pinterest Nigerians are some of the most entrepreneurial folks on the planet, constantly braving the odds in a hostile environment to operate their businesses. Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are the real lifeblood of the Nigerian economy, powering over 80% of Nigeria’s workforce and contributing roughly 50% to the GDP. Understandably, it is a priority concern for administrations. But between 2014 and 2018, over $1 billion was likely misappropriated through the mismanagement of MSME programs; an amount surpassing capital expenditure on health and education combined within that same period. Imagine the shattered dreams. Hopefully, initiatives like the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) start-up facility for Africa will fare better and have a more lasting impact. Already launched in Nigeria, the timbuktoo initiative sponsored by the UNDP will harness $1 billion in public and private funds to catalyse business across Africa in the next ten years. Pla...
Post a Comment
Read more

Illusion of hope

Image - lawinaction Much of the conflict that continues to ravage Africa revolves around a singularity known as ‘division’; along with its many cousins and incarnations, these divisions are exacerbated by a brutal scurry for resources and an often rather crude play for power. It doesn’t matter where; the conflicts are usually contended along similar colonial fault lines. The intensifying situation in Cameroon between Anglophone minority separatists and the majorly francophone government is a painfully precise example of this malaise that afflicts the very soul of the continent.   Elsewhere it is Hutus against Tutsis, Amhara and Qimant, Luo, Kalenjin in opposition to Kukuyu, Tigray versus Ethiopia versus Eritrea, Somaliland entangled with Somalia, Farmers clashing with Herders, North versus South, Minorities versus the Majority, citizens and their ruling elite.   Politics is contested along ethnic lines instead of ideological ones. Electoral cycles are quite literally lif...
Post a Comment
Read more