Gender-Based Violence: The Inhibiting Tool against Gender Equality

Gender-based violence is based on power imbalance and done with the intention to humiliate and make a person or group of people feel inferior and/or subordinate. This type of violence is deeply rooted in the social and cultural structures, norms and values that govern society, and is often perpetuated by a culture of denial and silence. Therefore, it is important to understand its implications and see it from different angles: why is it a human rights violation, how it threatens physical and psychological integrity, why is it discrimination, how it threatens gender equality, why is it unreported, how it affects the whole society, why is it a taboo in some places. If we are able to problematise gender-based violence, it is then easier to understand the aims and means for the work against gender-based violence and for gender equality. (Educating Young People on Gender-Based Violence, MOOC).

Gender-based violence tends to inhibit the rate at which gender equality is achieved. It is an abuse and violation of human rights because it deals with inflicting harm on people based on their gender (mostly, women and girls). That is, there is a place of exercising authority or power over one who is believed to be weak or a subordinate. In other words, we believe there is a sex weak and below standard who don't deserve to be treated right and with respect.

When a child is born, and the doctor tells the mother, father or both parents, 'It's a girl or it's a boy', however innocent the words or sentence may seem, so many things are expected from the baby just because it's a boy or a girl. Now, this is where I want to make the difference between sex and gender clear. The doctor could know that the baby is a particular sex because of the sex organ and the likes. That is, sex is biological. However, when the parents know that the baby is a particular sex, they begin to see the baby culturally in terms of expectations expected by the baby due to its sex as recommended by the society they live in; how they'd dress the baby based on their culture; the roles they would confer on them based on culture and everything that makes a baby male or female based on that culture. There, a boy is expected to be strong and domineering just because the society says so while the lady is expected to be weak and submissive. Due to these social constructs, gender equality is only a myth and can't be achieved because there can't be equal access to resources; rights, treatments, privileges, opportunities, and the likes to both sexes because one sex is meant to be in control and more powerful than the other. These socially accepted views give men and boys effrontery to abuse women and girls, sexually, physically, psychologically and even deny them of their rights and access to resources.

Bringing it home, Nigeria was bathed in the pool of 'deep patriarchy' that when the parents heard, 'It is a girl', the fathers turned their backs on the mother and cried, 'What evil have you brought on us? Kill the baby'. It was like that in some parts of the country just because a girl was seen as bad luck, an embodiment of evil or what have you? Even when they started welcoming girls, they were restricted to a lot of things just because they are girls who are meant to be restricted? No! It's simply because society thinks a girl should be. It's not like a girl can't perform as well as the boy but confining her restricts her abilities to perform and the likes.

Gender-based violence has been the order of the day because the society welcomes it in our thoughts, speeches, actions, and reactions. Our society believes that a girl should be blamed for any harm that befalls her just because she's a girl? No, her sex doesn't say so. Rather, the cultural perspective of how a girl should be treated in that society permits such and this has stopped girls from coming out to tell their stories because what's the point after all? They'd be blamed or not believed! Even if they are believed, there's o justification for such acts.

Gender equality can't be achieved if we still promote violence against women and girls. And really, gender equality gives access to both sexes and empowers them which in turn helps to eradicate poverty in the country. How do we promote violence? Stay tuned!

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