Boxing Is Transforming The Lives Of Young Nigerian Women
New Age Islam News Bureau
13 April 2022
• Shoura Official Highlights Milestone Achievement In
Empowering Saudi Women
• Are Pakistani Feminists Reluctant To Talk About
Marital Rape?
• Dangers Of Defending Women Accused Of Sorcery In
Papua New Guinea
• ‘Nigerian Women Capable Of Providing Leadership’
• 3 Remanded For Kidnapping 72-Year-Old Woman From
Lagos Mosque
• Iraq: Five Years After The Battle Of Mosul, Women
Still Struggle To Access Health Care
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/boxing-young-nigerian-women/d/126788
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Boxing Is Transforming The Lives Of Young Nigerian
Women
Esther Oni started boxing a
year ago and now trains four times a week. Photograph: Taiwo Aina
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Isabel Choat
13 Apr 2022
When Esther Oni joined a boxing gym just over a year
ago, she had no idea it would change her life. Being abused as a child had
shattered her self-esteem and left her feeling isolated and anxious. Today, she
has her sights set on boxing professionally, competing against the best in the
world.
“I’m a different person to the one I was before
boxing,” she says. “I feel relieved, like something has left me. I feel free.”
Oni was introduced to boxing when a university friend
invited her to watch a women’s match. “I saw how confident the girls were, so I
started reading about boxing, got a job as an administrator at EliteBox, and
started training.
“It was tough at first. I couldn’t walk the day after
my first session but now I feel sick if I don’t train.”
It soon became clear she had a talent for the sport.
Encouraged by friends and her coach at EliteBox fitness gym on Victoria Island
in Lagos, she now trains four times a week.
Oni, 25, is one of six female boxers photographed at
EliteBox by documentary photographer and film-maker Taiwo Aina. Some train for
fitness and self-defence, others, like Abosede Obisanya, are professional
boxers. All of them credit the sport with improving their mental health as well
as their physical strength.
“I used to be scared because of memories of the past,”
says Oni. “Now I feel like I am the strongest of my friends. If a guy is trying
to talk to us in a manner we don’t like, I am the only one that can stand up
[to him]. I am the warrior among them!”
Obisanya, 19, says boxing has helped her deal with
anger she felt as a teenager. “Boxing is a game of discipline. Before I started
boxing, I would misbehave but my coach told me that I don’t have the right to
fight outside. Only in the ring.”
As a photographer, Aina is drawn to “human experiences
and the societal issues that affect them”, but this was the first time she had
ever visited a boxing gym. The women’s experiences and the way their passion
for the sport has transformed their lives resonated with her. “Even though I’m
not a boxer, I understood how they felt. Whenever I have my camera, I’m more
confident too,” says Aina.
The most rewarding part of the project for Aina and
the boxers was an exhibition of the photos at Alliance Française, which
supported the project. “All the female boxers came to the exhibition and
brought their families too,” says Aina.
Oni says that seeing the smile on her mother’s face
when she saw the photos at the exhibition was a moment to cherish. “My mum is
proud of me now, but at first she was against [the idea of me boxing]. She said
I would turn myself into a man, and no one wants to marry a woman like that. But
her words made me want to box even more.
“When I saw the photos, I knew boxing would take me a
long way, and I knew I made the right decision choosing it.”
Source: The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/apr/13/boxing-young-nigerian-women-photography
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Shoura Official Highlights Milestone Achievement In
Empowering Saudi Women
The delegation from Princess
Nourah University participates in the panel discussion at the Shoura members at
the council's headquarters in Riyadh on Sunday.
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March 25, 2022
RIYADH — Assistant Speaker of the Shoura Council Dr.
Hanan Al-Ahmadi met with a delegation from the Women's Leadership Center of
Princess Nourah University at the council's headquarters in Riyadh recently.
Al-Ahmadi opened the discussion panel by highlighting
the huge milestone that the Kingdom achieved in empowering Saudi women and
supporting their assumption of leadership positions in the country.
She pointed out that women's entry into the Shoura
Council is one of the most important features of transformation and development
in the country, and directly reflects upon the state and society's belief in
the great capabilities of Saudi women to be involved in societal
decision-making through legislative and supervisory roles exercised by the
council.
"Since the launch of the Kingdom's Vision 2030,
we have witnessed accelerated work to build an integrated system of legislation
that encourages, empowers and guarantees women their rights. The Shoura Council
had a pivotal role in drafting and reviewing many of these legislations,"
she said.
Dr. Mastoura Al-Shammari, a council member and the
director of the panel discussion, reviewed a historical overview of the Shoura
Council, the stages of its establishment, the work mechanism of its specialized
committees, its effective role and the work it accomplishes.
She also reviewed the council’s efforts in enacting
regulations and updating existing ones, and studying treaties and agreements,
as well as the annual reports of government agencies that the council receives.
For her part, council member Princess Dr. Al-Jawhara
bint Fahd affirmed that the Shoura Council has strengthened the empowerment of
women through the regulations it approved to serve Saudi society, and women in
particular as a major component of society.
Council member Dr. Iman Al-Jibreen spoke about the
active presence of council members in parliamentary forums, international
meetings and conferences, including the Inter-Parliamentary Union, gaining
committee memberships in various parliamentary forums.
To conclude the discussion, the Shoura Council members
answered a number of questions from the delegation of the Women’s Leadership
Center from Princess Nourah University. The questions revolved around the
council, its work mechanisms and the decisions it has taken for women’s
empowerment.
Source: Saudi Gazette
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/618573
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Are Pakistani feminists reluctant to talk about
marital rape?
Kaukab Shairani
12.04.2022
Since the first "women's march" in 2018, the
struggle for women's rights has grown into a large-scale movement in
patriarchal Pakistan. Pakistan's feminists have been relentless in campaigning
for the right to bodily autonomy, safer public spaces, and an end to violent
sexual crimes.
Campaigns like #MeToo and #TimesUp have also given
more women a public platform to expose sexual harassment and violence.
However, Pakistan's feminists appear to be hesitant in
tackling the widespread problem of marital rape, which occurs when a husband
forces his wife into sexual activity against her will.
Pakistan remains one of the 36 countries yet to
explicitly criminalize marital rape. Others include Bangladesh, Afghanistan,
and India.
Legal ambiguity of marital rape
In India's Karnataka state, a recent court ruling
refusing to quash a rape case filed by a wife against her husband has given
hope that the debate on outlawing marital rape move forward.
"Rape is a rape, be it performed by a man, 'the
husband,' on the woman, 'the wife,'" the judge said. Although the move
does not strike down the "marriage exception" defining rape in Indian
law, it will require the husband to stand trial in this single case.
In Pakistan, the legal situation of marital rape is
unclear. In 1979, Pakistani law defined rape as forced sex outside of a
marriage.
In 2006, a bill to protect women was introduced, which
redefined rape as sex without a woman's consent. Although this definition
potentially makes marital rape a punishable crime, there was no specific
mention of marriage in the change. The penal code remains ambiguous.
Sara Malkani, a high court lawyer in Pakistan, told DW
that there are "no known convictions on grounds of marital rape" in
Pakistan. She added that official complaints of marital rape are few and far
between.
"Even if a complaint is filed, the case does not
go to trial," she said.
Rape hidden behind religion
In places where marital rape is not outlawed, many
women do not report their husbands because they feel ashamed and know it will
not be prosecuted. The religious context of marriage is also often used as a
shield from legal action.
Shireen Ferozepurwalla, a marital rape survivor in Karachi,
Pakistan, sought a divorce on grounds of "domestic violence," as
marital rape is seldom considered to be grounds for separation.
Ferozepurwalla said her ex-husband would try and use
religion to coerce her into having sex.
"My husband would tell me that the angels would
curse me for denying him [sex]," she told DW.
"He would say if I pleased him in bed [that] I
would go to heaven directly, and if he was angry with me, no matter what I did,
I would go to hell," Ferozepurwalla said, adding that he used to forced
himself upon her.
Haroon Ghazi, a right-wing Islamic cleric in Pakistan,
told DW that in Islamic culture, "signing the marriage covenant in and of
itself establishes consent" to sex. However, Ghazi added that battering
one's wife is considered sinful.
Adding marital rape to Pakistan's feminist manifesto
Pakistan's feminism movement tackles a distinct set of
issues during the annual march. The latest march focused on labor rights for
women.
However, the continued prevalence of gender-based
violence begs the question of why Pakistan's feminist circles do not speak out
as forcefully on marital rape.
A women's march organizer, who requested anonymity
over security concerns, told DW that one of the primary reasons that marital
rape is not discussed as much is because it is not reported.
The activist said that feminists do acknowledge
marital rape, but women are reluctant to come forward because they are
stigmatized for questioning the sacredness of the institution of marriage.
"Just because this is not a mainstream
discussion, it does not mean that conversations around it are not happening.
The contributing factors behind rape such as violation of consent are equally
important," she said.
The activist continued to say that Pakistan's feminism
movement is a "people's movement," and that demands for raising
awareness of issues must first come from within the people.
"This will only happen when we shake foundations,
so women are comfortable in not only reporting it, but also living with the
consequences of it," she said.
Zohra Yusuf, ex-chairperson of the Human Rights
Commission of Pakistan, told DW that victims of marital rape are often confused
about their own rights.
"Sometimes, women themselves believe that their
husbands are entitled to demand sex whenever they desire," she told DW.
"The lack of sensitization from authorities, and
the initial reaction from the police to any instance of domestic violence is
not encouraging," she added.
Yusuf said that spousal violence often goes unchecked
because law enforcement treats it as a "family matter," which makes
it off-limits for outsiders to intervene.
However, feminists say that Pakistani authorities are
slowly becoming cognizant of gender-based violence, but that Pakistan's social
system needs to do more to provide support to victims within legal structures.
Source: DW
https://www.dw.com/en/are-pakistani-feminists-reluctant-to-talk-about-marital-rape/a-61449046
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Dangers of defending women accused of sorcery in Papua
New Guinea
April 11, 2022
GOROKA — In Papua New Guinea, defending women accused
of sorcery, has become a life-threatening occupation. The UN and European
Union-run Spotlight Initiative is promoting legislation that will protect
threatened human rights defenders in the country, who risk violence, torture,
and death.
“When we are trying to help others, or when we go to
court to take up someone’s case, we face threats and intimidation,” says Mary
Kini, of the Highlands Human Rights Defenders Networks.
For more than 14 years, she has been working to assist
victims of sorcery-related violence, and gender-based violence, in Papua New
Guinea (PNG), despite the high personal cost that often comes with it.
Ms. Kini recently joined fellow human rights defenders
Eriko Fuferefa, of the Kafe Urban Settlers Women’s Association, and Angela Apa,
of the Kup Women for Peace in Mount Hagen, for a three-day consultation on the
development of a Human Rights Defenders’ Protection bill.
“For so many years we have not been protected and some
human rights defenders have been killed along the way,” said Ms. Fuferefa.
“Some of them are abused, or tortured. We have so many bruises.”
Following advocacy from the Spotlight Initiative,
there is now greater political ownership of issues of violence against women
and children, demonstrated by the country’s first Special Parliamentary Inquiry
on gender-based violence, which delivered recommendations to parliament and has
made notable legislative advances in the area of sorcery accusation-related
violence.
Practices to identify those accused of sorcery vary
between districts, but generally, when someone has died unexpectedly, the
family of the deceased will consult a Glasman (male) or Glasmeri (female) to
identify who in the community is responsible.
Accusations of sorcery by a glasman or glasmeri have
led to the torture and murder of dozens of women across PNG. While accusations
can be levelled at both men and women, most of the victims of violence are
women.
"When my husband died, we took him to his village
and there, his family began to suspect that I killed him, so they planned to
cut off my head and bury me with my late husband," explains one survivor.
"It wasn’t true, they just wanted to kill me."
“People have these norms, these beliefs,” said Ms.
Kini. “When a Glasman or Glasmeri comes along and says something, people
automatically react to what they are saying.”
Amendments to the Criminal Code make it illegal to
use, attempt to use, or threaten to use their services. Penalties include up to
10 years in jail and fines of up to 10,000 PGK.
In submissions to the Special Parliamentary Inquiry in
2021, the Spotlight Civil Society Reference Group (of which Kini is a co-chair)
recommended that the Government review policies and laws that address social
norms that allow for sorcery-related violence, including the use of glasman and
glasmeri.
“This is very important, and I am really pleased that
this has passed as this is something we have been asking for, for a long, long
time,” concluded Kini. — UN News
Source: Saudi Gazette
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/619240
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‘Nigerian women capable of providing leadership’
13 April 2022
The convener of ‘Hangout with Tee,’ Titi Oyemade, has
said Nigerian women are capable of leading the country.
Oyemade, in a statement on Tuesday, said it was
unfortunate that women do not get the kind of support given to men in society.
She was quoted to have spoken during the ‘Hangout with
Tee’ event held in Lagos on Sunday.
“I’m passionate about women, and I realise that many
women do not have time for themselves. They are always taking care of their
children and partners, but they do not take care of themselves. I tried to
encourage women to set aside time to take care of themselves and have fun.
“The programme is for women to come and relax and have
fun. We are saying that create time to do that thing you love.
“Nigerian women are capable of providing leadership
for the country, but the thing is that they are not getting enough support.
Women have empathy, they are compassionate, and that is why we need to have
more women in leadership positions,” Oyemade added.
Veteran broadcaster, Bimbo Oloyede, a guest speaker at
the event, urged women to believe in themselves.
Oloyede said, “Women should be themselves, be natural,
and stop limiting the way they think. They should stop thinking that there are
certain things they can’t do because of their gender. I believe we all have a
variety of gifts and talents, and they could all be used in different ways.”
Source: Punchng
https://punchng.com/nigerian-women-capable-of-providing-leadership/
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3 Remanded For Kidnapping 72-Year-Old Woman From Lagos
Mosque
13 Apr 2022
An Ebute Meta magistrates’ court, on Tuesday, ordered
that three men who kidnapped a 72-year-old woman be remanded.
The police had charged Bolaji Apena, Believe Deo and
Godday Enock with three counts bordering on conspiracy and kidnapping.
The prosecutor, ASP A. A. Paul, told the court that
the suspects committed the offence on March 18, around 1pm at No 27 on Tunde
Taiwo Street, Epe.
He told the court that the suspects conspired to
kidnap 72-year-old Fasilat Badmis from her residence with intent to collecting
ransom, emphasising that, “They planned to kidnap the septuagenarian after her
Zuhir prayers in the mosque, and subsequently kidnapped her.”
The magistrate, Mrs O. M. Ajayi, who did not take
their plea, ordered that they should be remanded at the Ikoyi correctional
facility pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and
adjourned the case to May 9. (NAN)
Source: Daily Trust
https://dailytrust.com/3-remanded-for-kidnapping-72-year-old-woman-from-lagos-mosque
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Iraq: Five years after the battle of Mosul, women
still struggle to access health care
11 Apr 2022
Undeterred by the stormy weather, a line of women
formed outside the Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
Al-Amal maternity center, located in the Al-Nahwaran neighborhood of Mosul, the
second largest city in Iraq.
Maram is three months pregnant. She is expecting her
third child, but this is the first time that she’s visited this center. “I came
here because my relatives told me about [it],” she says. “My sister-in-law came
here before, and she recommended it.” Many other women here also heard about
the center through word of mouth, and patient numbers have increased in recent
months.
Al-Amal offers routine obstetric care, newborn care,
family planning, and mental health support. The MSF team also conducts health
promotion. Thirty midwives and five midwife supervisors work in the facility,
which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The team assists between 10 and 15 deliveries daily,
but a busy day can see up to 25 births. “Unfortunately, we still can’t cover
all the needs,” said Rahma Adla Abdallah, an MSF midwife supervisor. “We help
most women who come here, but we have to have admission criteria to maintain
the best possible level of care within the limits of our own resources.”
A long road to recovery
In June 2014, Mosul fell to the Islamic State group.
In October 2016, a military offensive led by an alliance of the Iraqi security
forces and an international coalition was launched to retake the city. The
battle of Mosul lasted for more than 250 days and was described as one of the deadliest
urban battles since World War II.
Almost five years after the city was officially
declared retaken by Iraqi authorities, many medical facilities damaged in the
fighting have yet to be fully renovated and are not fit for use. “What has
mainly been done is to [temporarily] install containers next to destroyed
facilities until they are rebuilt,” said Adla Abdallah. “But the containers are
often not properly equipped for receiving patients. Right now, especially
[with] COVID-19, the needs are too big for hospitals in Mosul to handle.”
On top of this, there are still shortages of medical
supplies, and thousands of families in Mosul and surrounding areas still
struggle to access quality affordable health care.
Filling the gaps
In response to the high level of unmet needs after the
conflict, MSF opened a specialist maternity unit in Nablus hospital in West
Mosul in 2017 to provide safe, high quality, and free health care for pregnant
women and newborns. In July 2019, a second MSF team opened the Al-Amal
maternity unit within Al-Rafadain primary health care center, also in West
Mosul. Last year, MSF teams in both facilities assisted the births of almost
15,000 babies.
“We first opened this maternity unit because there
were significant needs in the city when it came to access to health care in
general, and even more so in the field of sexual and reproductive health care,”
said Loay Khudur, MSF’s assistant project coordinator. “Three years later, many
women still need to come here because the city’s health system is far from
functional.”
“Women in this community not only need access to
physical health care, they also need full mental health support,” said Adla
Abdallah. “Gender-based violence is an issue we sometimes witness. Some of our
patients have experienced it but they very rarely talk about it.”
Iraq’s Directorate of Health has set up dedicated
health services in the city to provide care for survivors of gender-based
violence. But stigma continues to prevent many women from seeking this care.
“Most of the time, it’s the people who live with them
who bring [the patient] here,” said Adla Abdallah. “The women themselves don’t
speak because they feel scared. Gender-based violence is still very taboo and
is an additional challenge we face when treating women here.”
Barriers to accessing care
Stigma is not the only barrier women face to accessing
care. “The environment is particularly complicated here,” said Bashaer Aziz, an
MSF midwife supervisor. “A significant number of women cannot access health
care either because they do not have the means to pay for it, or because they
face other challenges, such as not having official administrative document due
to the recent conflict or being displaced from their homes.”
MSF offers free care in all its facilities. “When
patients come to our facility, they are generally very grateful to receive good
medical and obstetric care,” said Aziz. “They don’t have other places to go,
they cannot afford to pay for services at hospitals or private clinics. Our
maternity unit makes a big difference to them.”
“Before this maternity unit existed, nothing was
available and we used to deliver at home,” said Mahaya, 50, who traveled more
than an hour with her pregnant daughter-in-law to come to the clinic. “A midwife
would come, deliver the baby, and that would be it. There wasn’t even a
hospital we could go to. This maternity unit is a big improvement in our
lives.”
“There is still a long way to go before proper access
to both physical and mental healthcare can be guaranteed in Mosul,” said Adla
Abdallah. “But I focus on the little wins to keep on going. One day a patient
left us a note to thank us for the services we provide, but also for the human
approach we take at the maternity unit. Her thanks meant a lot to me.”
Source: Relief Web
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/boxing-young-nigerian-women/d/126788