Nigeria

Trafficking of Women in Nigeria: Causes, Consequences and the Way Forward

Citation:

Akor, Linus. 2011. “Trafficking of Women in Nigeria: Causes, Consequences and the Way Forward.” Corvinus Journal of Sociology and Social Policy 2 (2): 89-110.

Author: Linus Akor

Abstract:

The phenomenon of the trafficking of women, especially of young girls and women into exploitative sexual and commercial labor, has recently begun to attract local, national and international attention from world leaders, academics, the mass media, advocacy groups, the clergy and humanity in general. This is against the back drop of the fact that the trafficking of women has a number of far-reaching socio-economic, health and political consequences. Several factors, among them poverty, unemployment, ignorance and family size have been implicated as being reasons why women fall easy preys to the antics of traffickers. From available statistics, we can say that about 500,000 women are brought into the United States of America and Europe yearly for sexual and domestic servitude. Of the over 70,000 African victims of women trafficking, Nigerian women account for 70 percent of those trafficked to Italy alone. Fighting the menace requires a coordinated and concerted push from all stakeholders. This paper presents the causes and consequences of the trafficking of women from Nigeria to America and Europe. Empirical evidence indicates that the activities of traffickers, corrupt embassy officials, the country’s porous borders, poverty, refusal of victims to expose traffickers, delay in prosecuting apprehended culprits and biting youth unemployment have “conspired” to undermine the battle against the illicit trade. The paper makes far-reaching recommendations about how to mitigate the identified obstacles.

Keywords: trafficking of women, poverty, prostitution, traffickers, Italo, madam

Topics: Corruption, Economies, Poverty, Gender, Women, Girls, Trafficking, Human Trafficking, Sex Trafficking Regions: Africa, West Africa, Europe, Southern Europe Countries: Italy, Nigeria

Year: 2011

Beyond Survival: Militarism, Equity and Women’s Security

Citation:

Mama, Amina. 2014. “Beyond Survival: Militarism, Equity and Women’s Security.” In Development and Equity: An Interdisciplinary Exploration by Ten Scholars from Africa, Asia and Latin America, edited by Dick Foeken, Ton Dietz, Leo De Haan, and Linda Johnson, 29-46. Leiden: Koninklijke Brill NV.

Author: Amina Mama

Abstract:

This paper explores the tension between the prospects for equitable development and the global investments in militarism. It argues that militarism – a highly gendered economic, political and cultural phenomenon – not only sustains underdevelopment in poorer nations, but also poses a key obstacle to gender equity in militarized societies more generally. Evidence from current research on the Nigerian, Liberian and Sierra Leonean civil wars illustrates women’s increased participation in more recent conflicts, their improvised livelihood strategies and their contribution in peace activism. In the era of neoliberal globalization, postcolonial militarism continues to undermine the prospects for democratization, social justice and genuine security, especially for women. An effective strategy for addressing the dual perils of militarism and gender inequality requires strengthening the work of the women’s movements, to engage in more effective evidence-based advocacy that highlights and challenges the gendered political, economic and cultural foundations of militarism and insecurity.

Topics: Armed Conflict, Civil Wars, Coloniality/Post-Coloniality, Combatants, Female Combatants, Economies, Gender, Women, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Gender Equity, Livelihoods, Military Forces & Armed Groups, Militarism, Political Participation Regions: Africa, West Africa Countries: Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone

Year: 2014

Effect of Oil Exploration on Socio-Cultural Issues in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria

Citation:

Akhionbare, A. E., and E. E. Osuji. 2013. “Effect of Oil Exploration on Socio-Cultural Issues in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria.” Journal of Environmental Issues and Agriculture in Developing Countries 5 (2): 19-24.

Authors: A. E. Akhionbare, E. E. Osuji

Abstract:

This study examined the effects of oil exploration on socio-cultural issues in Oguta local government area of Imo State, Nigeria. Cluster sampling technique was used to select 316 respondents for this study. Information on the objectives of this study was elicited from the sampled respondents through a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as the mean, frequency distribution, percentage and Likert scale. Multiple responses were recorded in terms of environmental challenges posed by oil exploration in the area. Problems such as loss of source of livelihood, community clashes and intra and inter-community violence, loss of community norms, destruction of historical sites of importance, sexual pervasiveness, decrease in longevity and infant mortality and inequality/inferiority complex were regarded as serious socio-cultural problems in the area. Strengthening of Social Impact Assessment within the EIA process in Nigeria, as well as an upgrade to Strategic Environmental Assessment to address socio-cultural issues in policies and plans is recommended for the Government, while the management of oil companies should liase with members of the host communities on ways to restore and preserve the traditions of their host community.

Keywords: oil exploration, socio-cultural issues, oil companies, Oguta, Likert scale

Topics: Economies, Environment, Extractive Industries, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Livelihoods, Violence Regions: Africa, West Africa Countries: Nigeria

Year: 2013

Conflict and Contradiction in Women’s Writing on the Nigerian Civil War

Citation:

Bryce, Jane. 1991. “Conflict and Contradiction in Women’s Writing on the Nigerian Civil War.” African Languages and Cultures 4 (1): 29–42.

Author: Jane Bryce

Topics: Armed Conflict, Civil Wars, Gender, Women Regions: Africa, West Africa Countries: Nigeria

Year: 1991

Nigeria and the Implementation of UNSCR 1325

Citation:

Ikpe, Eka. 2010. “Nigeria and the Implementation of UNSCR 1325.” In Women, Peace and Security: Translating Policy into Practice, edited by Funmi Olonisakin, Karen Barnes, and Eka Ikpe, 87-103. New York: Routledge.

Author: Eka Ikpe

Topics: Gender, Women, UN Security Council Resolutions on WPS, UNSCR 1325 Regions: Africa, West Africa Countries: Nigeria

Year: 2010

Khaki in the Family: Gender Discourses and Militarism in Nigeria

Citation:

Mama, Amina. 1998. “Khaki in the Family: Gender Discourses and Militarism in Nigeria.” African Studies Review 41 (2): 1-17. doi:10.2307/524824.

Author: Amina Mama

Abstract:

The Nigerian military state has used gender politics for its own ends, exploiting opportunities afforded by international concern with women. The highly publicized program for rural women enabled the regime of Babangida to gain international credibility. The Abacha regime did not seek or win international support, but sought to upstage the gender politics of their predecessors locally by mounting more broadly populist programs which promised benefits to "the family" and further reinscribed women within highly limited reproductive roles. Because Nigerian civil society has been so reluctant to engage with gender, the military have been able to appropriate the terrain they refer to as "women development" for their own ends. Through a series of high profile programs, they have neutralized the potentially subversive and inherently antimilitarist notion of women's liberation, and propagated a gender politics which normalizes military rule.

Topics: Gender, Women, Gendered Discourses, Military Forces & Armed Groups, Militarism Regions: Africa, West Africa Countries: Nigeria

Year: 1998

'Transition Politics’ and the Challenge of Gender in Nigeria

Citation:

Abdullah, Hussaina. 1993. “‘Transition Politics’ and the Challenge of Gender in Nigeria.” Review of African Political Economy, no. 56, 27-41.

Author: Hussaina Abdullah

Abstract:

At present Nigeria is in a 'transitional' period as the country moves into the Third Republic, a form of civilian government devised by the present Federal Military Government (FMG). This has not only entailed the creation of political parties (one, the National Republican Convention, a 'little to the right', the other, the Social Democratic Party, a 'little to the left'), it has also involved the establishment of other organisations conforming to the views of the FMG. A striking number of these are apparently directed towards improving the position of women in Nigerian society. These organisations are critically examined in the context of a structural adjustment programme promoted by the military government, and against the activities of trade unions, political parties and democratic associations.

Topics: Gender, Women, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Governance, Post-Conflict Governance, Military Forces & Armed Groups Regions: Africa, West Africa Countries: Nigeria

Year: 1993

Institutionalization of Gender Inequality in Nigeria: Implications for the Advancement of Women

Citation:

Oyekanmi, Felicia Durojaiye. 2005. “Institutionalization of Gender Inequality in Nigeria: Implications for the Advancement of Women.” Population Review Publications 44 (1): 56-71.

Author: Felicia Durojaiye Oyekanmi

Abstract:

This paper highlights the institutionalization of gender inequality in Nigerian society and affirms that there is a thin divide between the public and private lives of women in Nigeria, especially in rural areas. It draws attention to the emergence of non-traditional female-headed families. The new trend in defining the household shows that it is a dynamic social unit that is not necessarily built around men. This new flexibility in defining the household helps to envision women, not as persons who work merely to supplement household income, but as persons who engage in economic ventures because they have personal needs and aspirations. The main barriers to the advancement of women in public life are low level of employment of women in the formal labor sector, low literacy rates, gender stereotypes with regard to employment opportunities and promotions, and cultural practices such as patriarchy and early marriage that limit women's access to and control over resources. In their private liveswomen somehow manage to provide the necessary resources to maintain themselves and their children with or without financial assistance from spouses, although with increased difficulty. The feminization of poverty concept is applicable in view of the high level of poverty among women. In order to remedy the situation for women in Nigeria, and to enhance the lives of the populace in general, proposals are put forth that it is hoped will be embraced by government leaders, employers, families and individuals.

Topics: Economies, Poverty, Gender, Women, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Households, Livelihoods Regions: Africa, West Africa Countries: Nigeria

Year: 2005

The Road to Italy: Nigerian Sex Workers at Home and Abroad

Citation:

Achebe, Nwando. 2004. “The Road to Italy: Nigerian Sex Workers at Home and Abroad.” Journal of Women’s History 15 (4): 178-85.

Author: Nwando Achebe

Abstract:

In an attempt to navigate the contours of the unique Nigerian institution of commercial sex work, Achebe provides two short cases that are various in ethnicity (the Igbo and Edo), locality (rural Nigeria and international prostitution), and in the very way the practitioners define and construct their work. He claims that the realities of Nigerian prostitutes vary considerably depending on geography, ethnicity, and levels of dislocation from community and family.

Topics: Gender, Livelihoods, Sexual Livelihoods, Trafficking, Sex Trafficking Regions: Africa, West Africa Countries: Nigeria

Year: 2004

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