Gender in niGeria report 2012 - Economic Commission for Africa

Gender in Nigeria Report 2012: Improving the Lives of Girls and Women in Nigeria 61
• Teachers and schools where girls perform well and complete the full
educational cycle should be rewarded.
• Teacher training should include modules on the detrimental impacts of
violence and sexism.
Four
Nigeria still has a disproportional share of global infant, child and maternal
deaths. Apart from inadequate infrastructure and poor quality of care, women’s access
to health is compromised by user fees, informal charges and levies that deter or delay
women and decision-making members of their families from seeking essential lifesaving
health care. Equitable mechanisms for ensuring universal access to essential
services are needed. Under investment in reproductive health services and a high level
of unmet family planning needs among women and adolescent girls have implications
for the health of women and girls and the next generation in Nigeria. Increasing the
health budget is a priority.
Five
There is a lack of gender parity in almost all areas of human development.
The poorest girls and women experience the worst outcomes. We attribute this
inequality of outcomes in part to lack of effective political representation. Women are
poorly represented in politics and governance in Nigeria. Some of the modest gains
made since 1999 are beginning to erode. Unless women are visible, in numbers,
in elected offices where major spending decisions are taken, it is likely that current
patterns of public expenditure will continue. International experience suggests that
increased female parliamentary participation is associated with lower levels of intrastate
violence (Melander, 2005). Political parties and elections represent entry points
for civil society coalitions to work to promote women’s engagement in politics
and create pressure to make politicians more accountable to their female
constituents.
Six
Gender violence has emerged as a cross cutting theme that impacts on
women and girls in their homes and in every sphere of their lives. Systematic
and institutionalised gender violence deters girls and women from accessing and
participating in public institutions on equal terms, in education, justice or politics
(Ladbury, 2011). This problem cannot be resolved by short-term or partial solutions;
it must be acknowledged and understood better if it is to be addressed. We find it
disturbing that the patterns of violence have not been systematically analysed. This
would be the first step to clarifying the underlying social dynamics that cause it. The
culture of violence is not one that can be changed overnight but, because the desire
for education is something that unites many Nigerians, regardless of ethnicity, class
or religion, tackling violence in schools and educational establishments represents a
strategic first step. To be effective such a campaign must involve coalitions between
civil society, communities and educationists.