Don Seeks Law Against Physical, Verbal Violence Against Female Politicians

Ms Ozo-Eson said that there was a need to correct the yoke and burden of womanhood.

professor of Sociology at the University of Abuja, Philomena Ozo-Eson, has urged the National Assembly to come up with legislation against physical and verbal violence against female politicians.

Ms Ozo-Eson said this would enable women to thrive in politics.

She made the call in Abuja while delivering the 43rd inaugural lecture of the university titled, “Womanhood in Tears: The yoke is not easy and the burden is heavy.’’

Ns Ozo-Eson said male politicians view their female counterparts as inferior to them and see females in politics as an aberration.

She said they see them as individuals who should be in the kitchen, preparing food for their husbands and looking after the needs of the entire family.

The don alleged that some male politicians use violence and thugs to intimidate and scare women out of politics.

She said, “For instance, in the 2019 governorship election in Kogi State, a female leader of the Peoples Democratic Party was reportedly shot dead and burnt to ashes by some unknown persons who considered her a threat to their election. Also, thugs used to intimidate female opponents and this makes female aspirants to withdraw from the race.’’

Ms Ozo-Esan also called for legislation that would punish perpetrators involved in early child marriages, forced marriages and wife inheritance.

She also urged the Federal Government to enact laws preventing members of the ruling class from sending their children to foreign schools, including those in Europe and America.

Ms Ozo-Eson called on parents to give equal attention to their children’s education irrespective of the sex, saying there was a need for girl-child rights law to be implemented and enforced by all states in the country.

She expressed the need for the country’s political and socio-economic policies to be geared towards meeting the basic needs of Nigerians.

“Nigeria operates a patriarchal social relation that enforces male domination of females. Females and males are both conditioned to a pattern of behaviour that underrated females.

“The inferior status of women in a patriarchal Nigeria is taken for granted and reinforced by the various social institutions,” Ms Ozo-Eson said.

She said that through the institutions, the females were consciously or unconsciously made to internalise inferiority complexes, through the dehumanising practices against them.

“There is a need to correct this yoke, burden of womanhood. The correction should start from the family, then the educational system and the society at large,” Ms Ozo-Eson said.

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, said inaugural lectures generally are about human and national values.

Mr Na’Allah commended the lecturer for being one of those that incorporated virtual learning into their teaching in the institution’s history