Nigeria: Ending Sexual Abuse In IDP Camps - Minority Africa
Toluwani Omotesho
April 19, 2024
But first, in Nigeria, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) closed down a KFC branch in Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, over the alleged discrimination against a passenger with reduced mobility (PRM).
On Thursday, March 28, 2024, Adebola Daniel, on social media, shared that while trying to wait for his flight at the KFC outlet of the airport, he was ordered by the manager to leave because of his wheelchair. According to the manager, wheelchairs weren’t allowed in the fast food restaurant, much to the disbelief of Adebola and his family.
Despite multiple attempts by his family and other witnesses to appeal to the manager’s good nature, she insisted it was the restaurant’s policy to bar wheelchair users.
As expected, the post sparked social media outrage, catching the attention of FAAN, who launched an investigation leading to the closure of the KFC branch. This is in line with the Lagos State law on People with Special Needs, Part C, section 55 of General Provisions on Discrimination, which states that “A person shall not deprive another person of access to any place, vehicle or facility that members of the public are entitled to enter or use on the basis of the disability of that person.” The airport authority has ordered the fast food chain to tender an apology in writing to Adebola and display a non-discrimination policy as a condition for reopening.
While FAAN can be lauded for its quick response, they’re not entirely blameless. Adebola wanted to wait for his flight at the KFC outlet because the lift to the airport’s lounge has been out of service for the past three years, indicating the nationwide problem of a lack of maintenance culture. It’s crucial for all institutions to proactively ensure accessibility for everyone to create a functioning society where everyone can fully participate and thrive regardless of their abilities.
India says new law saves persecuted refugees. Rohingya ask ‘Why not us?’
‘Over my dead body’, say Gambian mothers amid efforts to lift FGM ban
Namibia’s efforts at curbing sexual and gender based violence remain ineffective without the inclusion of LGBT persons
In Namibia, there is a high incidence of sexual- and gender-based violence (SGBV) targeting women. According to official statistics, more than 5,000 GBV and 700 cases of rape were reported in 2020 and 2021 in the country. However, people in same-sex relationships are often not included in these statistics, suggesting that it might even be higher.
These incidents, therefore, go unreported because of the stigma involved around being lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT). Just recently, former Mr Gay Namibia, 41-year-old Wendelinus Hamutenya, who was stabbed several times by his husband in November 2021, highlighted how LGBT persons refrain from reporting their abusers to the police for fear of backlash.
There currently exist no constitutional or legal protections for LGBT persons and, therefore, same-sex relationships are not recognized. There is also a sodomy law that criminalizes anal sex between two men, which stems from the South African colonial period (1915 – 1990). This was informed by a misogynistic (and colonial) culture that viewed sexual or romantic relations between men suspiciously. That this law still exists points to existing misogynistic attitudes that prevail even after the end of apartheid and colonialism.
When Jamiu Jubril, 23, gained admission to study English at a university in north-central Nigeria, he knew little of the uphill task he was about to embark on for the next four years. Being a blind student, the journey was steeper than initially envisaged and on many occasions, he was broken.
“My passion was to go to school and study English. It kept ringing in my head even when it seemed impossible,’’ Jubril tells Minority Africa.
The ‘impossible’ he refers to is the reality of the Nigerian education system for many visually impaired students. A major hurdle Jubril had to overcome was getting his hands on accessible format copies to make learning possible for him.
“In the department of English, in any school, you will be given a lot of books to read… which include novels, plays and poems and even course materials. A lot of books are usually prescribed and they are all in hard copies. They were all inaccessible to me,” he says.
Only 1 – 7% of the world’s published books make it into accessible formats and in Nigeria, disability rights activists estimate this number to be less than 1%. Conversion of books into accessible digital formats for visually impaired people is illegal according to extant copyright laws in the West African country.
Sexual minorities in South Korea are still struggling to be accepted in a society that remains conservative and strongly influenced by traditional Confucianist attitudes.
A new study has indicated that most South Koreans do not want to live alongside anyone identifying as LGBTQ+, while Seoul officials have recently blocked a queer culture festival.
“South Korean society is unique in that while the country had an economy that developed very quickly after the Korean War, the nation’s spiritual values, and especially perceptions towards sexuality, have lagged far behind,” said Jung Cueri, a 36-year-old lesbian woman who lives in Seoul and is involved in organizing the annual Seoul Queer Culture Festival.
Jung believes post-war assistance from the US helped the economy and made Koreans of that generation envious of developed countries, marginalizing values such as justice, equality, human rights and the concept of fairness among citizens.
“In that process, the rights of minorities, such as women, people with disabilities and foreigners, were relegated to being of less importance,” she told DW, adding: “And as a result, it is no secret that gender conflicts are playing out in Korean society today, and the same is true for LGBTQ+ issues.”
Afghanistan: Teen girls despair as Taliban school ban continues
Teenage Afghan girls have told the BBC they feel “mentally dead” as the Taliban’s ban on their education prevents them from returning to school once again.
More than 900 days have now passed since girls over 12 were first banned.
The Taliban have repeatedly promised they would be readmitted once a number of issues were resolved – including ensuring the curriculum was “Islamic”. But they have made little comment as a third new school year started without teenage girls in class this week.
The BBC has asked the Taliban’s education minister for an explanation, but he has so far not responded. The Taliban’s chief spokesman told local TV there had been “some problems and shortcomings for different reasons” in getting the ban lifted.
According to Unicef, the ban has now impacted some 1.4m Afghan girls – among them, former classmates Habiba, Mahtab and Tamana, who spoke to the BBC last year.
The hope they described 12 months ago is still there, but seems to have dwindled.
Nigeria: Ending sexual abuse in IDP camps
TW: This article includes accounts of rape and physical assault
Having escaped attacks by violent criminals and armed gangs known as bandits in their villages, many displaced women and girls in Nigeria are now facing a new challenge.
Sexual harassment is rife in camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) across northern Nigeria — mostly when it comes to access to food or money. With little protection, IDPs are also at risk of being kidnapped by bandits and jihadists.
A bloody conflict between the army and jihadist groups, including Boko Haram, has been raging in Nigeria since 2009. It is estimated that more than 40,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million more displaced — 80% of whom are women and children who live in government-registered or unregistered camps for IDPs.
Amina Rabo, who lives in an unofficial camp in the northern Nigerian city of Katsina, fled her village after it was attacked by bandits. Since arriving there, Amina says she has suffered various forms of violence. Apart from sexual harassment, she also lives with the fear of being kidnapped.
Thai parliament passes same-sex marriage bill
Thailand’s lower house of parliament passed on Wednesday a bill that would legalize same-sex unions in the country. The text still needs the Senate’s approval and the king’s endorsement to become law.
Thailand has one of the most open LGBTQ communities in Asia, but activists have said Thai conservative laws do not represent the community despite the changing social attitudes in the country. However, the bill was passed by an overwhelming majority of the 415 lawmakers present, with 10 votes against.
“We did this for all Thai people to reduce disparity in society and start creating equality,” Danuphorn Punnakanta, chairman of the parliamentary committee on the draft bill, told lawmakers ahead of the reading.
“I want to invite you all to make history.” Almost all of Thailand’s major parties supported the bill.
“Today society has proved to us that they care about LGBT rights,” Tunyawaj Kamolwongwat, a member of the progressive Move Forward Party which has pushed for LGBTQ rights, told the French AFP news agency.
“Now we finally have the same rights as others.”
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