The human rights of women and the girl-child are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights. Consequently, the full and equal participation of women in political, civil, economic, social and cultural life at the national, regional and international levels and the eradication of all forms of existing discrimination against them on grounds of sex are priority objectives of the international community.

Sadly, in virtually all societies and spheres of activity, women are still being subjected to inequalities in law and in reality. This situation is both caused and exacerbated by the existence of discrimination in the family, in the community and in the workplace. While causes and consequences may vary from community to community, discrimination against women is widespread. It is perpetuated and strengthened by the survival of stereotypes and of traditional, cultural and religious practices and beliefs detrimental to women.

Recent efforts to document the real situation women are facing worldwide have produced some alarming statistics on the economic and social gaps between women and the men. Women are the majority of the world's poor and the number of women living in rural poverty has increased by 50% since 1975.

Women constitute the majority of the world's illiterate. The number rose from 543 million to 597 million between 1970 and 1985. Women in Asia and Africa work 13 hours a week more than men and are mostly unpaid. Worldwide, women earn 30 to 40% less than men for doing equal work. Women hold between 10 and 20 per cent of managerial and administrative jobs worldwide and less than 20 per cent of jobs in manufacturing. Women make up less than 5% of the world's heads of State. Women's unpaid housework and family labour, if counted as productive output in national accounts, would increase measures of global output by 25 to 30%.

Thus, millions of women throughout the world live in undignified conditions in which they are deprived of their basic human rights for no other reason than their gender.

Abuses against women are relentless, systematic, and widely tolerated, if not explicitly condoned. Violence and discrimination against women are global social epidemics.

We live in a world in which women do not have basic control over what happens to their bodies. Millions of women and girls are forced to marry and have sex with men they do not desire. Husbands and other male family members obstruct or dictate women's access to reproductive health care. Doctors and government officials disproportionately target women from disadvantaged or marginalized communities for coercive family planning policies.

As a part of the efforts to address the problem, the International Bill of Human Rights laid down a comprehensive set of rights to which all persons, including women, are entitled. Despite the existence of these instruments, women still did not have equal rights with men as discrimination against them continued to persist in every society. This led to the adoption of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), an additional means of protecting the human rights of women.

The Convention was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1979 to reinforce the provisions of existing international instruments designed to combat the continuing discrimination against women. It identifies many specific areas where there has been notorious discrimination against women, for example, in regard to political rights, marriage, the family and employment. In these and other areas, the Convention spells out specific goals and measures that are to be taken to facilitate the creation of a global society in which women enjoy full equality with the men and thus achieve full realization of their guaranteed human rights.

To combat gender-based discrimination against women, the Convention requires State-parties to recognize the important economic and social contribution of women to the family and to society as a whole. It emphasizes that discrimination will hamper economic growth and prosperity. It also expressly recognizes the need for a change in attitudes, through education of both men and women to accept equality of rights and responsibilities and to overcome prejudices and practices based on stereotyped roles.

Another important feature of the Convention is its explicit recognition of the goal of actual, in addition to legal equality and of the need for temporary special measures to achieve that goal.

The Federal Ministry of Justice in particular must meet its duty to address the fact that Federal laws, as they are at the moment, do not conform to Nigeria’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Elimination of Violence against Women (CEDAW) and to take action to end discrimination against women. As a matter of urgency, the federal government should:

•Publicly acknowledge the invaluable work of NGOs and civil society groups in making a difference for women seeking justice and state its commitment to delivering justice for survivors of violence against women in the family;

•Implement Nigeria’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discriminations against Women (CEDAW) which the government has signed and ratified in 1985 by enacting new laws and implementing these laws

•Provide training to police officers, lawyers and judges and other officials in the criminal justice system in the following areas: protection of women from violence in the family; investigating reports of family violence; prosecuting such cases; protecting women complainants and witnesses at risk of reprisals and intimidation during investigations and prosecutions;

•Take steps to relieve the pressures on ill-funded women’s shelters run by women NGOs by creating and funding an adequate number of shelters for women at risk of gender-based violence. Advice from experienced non-governmental organisations such as LAPO in this field on best practice and effective programmes should be sought.

•Fund and support measures such as programmes of civic education, training and systems of support and protection for women who have been subjected to violence in the family.

The realization of women's rights is a global struggle based on the universal human rights and the rule of law. It requires all of us to unite in solidarity to end traditions, practices, and laws that harm women. It is a fight for freedom to be fully and completely human and equal without apology or permission.

Ultimately, the struggle for the upholding of women's human rights must be about making their lives matter everywhere all the time.

Mr. Abhulimen is with a Benin City-based NGO