By Alfred Kamanda
Thursday 20th June. The UN population agency – UNFPA – organized its first Red Carpet Screening of an award-winning documentary film that was followed by a panel discussion to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ICPD and the 50th anniversary of the UNFPA. The ICPD, or the International Conference on Population and Development, is an offshoot from a 1994 meeting in the Egyptian capital attended by 179 governments. They adopted a watershed Programme of Action calling for women's reproductive health and rights to be prioritised in both national and global development efforts.
To mark the occasion, UNFPA invited Government officials, partners and other donor institutions to an event in Freetown. It was also an occasion to launch the 2019 State of the World Population Report Entitled: “Unfinished Business: The Pursuit of Rights and Choices for All”.
The documentary captured women in the Democratic Republic of Congo who had suffered violence at the hands of the fighting forces. A number of these women had been gang-raped by men and had seen their closest family members killed or maimed in front of their eyes. Result: a very traumatic experience enough to break down even the strongest of us.
The fighting forces in DRC have been using rape in ways similar to how the RUF did during the civil war in Sierra Leone – as a weapon of war. These women, who had been violated, victimized and torn apart, were finally rescued and rehabilitated in a camp known as Joy City. Here the women were able to regain their strength, their stamina, their happiness and were also fully emboldened to face their perpetrators head on.
They were also empowered to reach out to their fellow women and prepare them mentally and physically to stand up to their oppressors and violators, and demand for their rights. It was a movie full of horror, resilience, hope and victory. The women, despite their scars, were able to build themselves up and to love their kids they used to hate because they were products of rape and violence.
After the screening of the movie – and the subsequent panel discussion – opportunity was given to us the audience to give our take on the issues and how we could address same, going forward. At this stage the Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, whom I saw sleeping at some point during the screening of the documentary, was given the opportunity to showcase what Government were engaged in and how determined they were to end gender-based violence (GBV). The hall was full to the brim. A community resolved to strive for ZERO unmet need for contraception, ZERO maternal death and ZERO violence or harmful practices against women and girls.
Alpha Timbo started by first of all stating that the documentary which we enjoyed watching was very long and effort should be directed at producing shorter versions thereof. We forgave him for that.
He went on to state in a brilliant way how President Julius Maada Bio was taking positive steps to ending gender-based violence in the country and emphasised on the steps taken to end sexual violence especially against women and girls who are being raped. He also mentioned the #HandsoffOurGirls Campaign undertaken by First Lady Fatima Bio. He also said that his ministry had taken the bold step, with support from UNFPA to introduce Comprehensive Sexuality Education in schools. These are brilliant ideas and we all supported the moves already made by the government and demanded for more to be done.
After stating all these groundbreaking initiatives, Alpha Timbo then stated that when it came to the campaign against GBV, we should also extend the campaign to women because sometimes women “provoke men”. At this juncture, boos thundered and echoed across the hall with people shouting "no." He wanted to justify his stance but the audience wouldn’t give him the opportunity to make more offending and distasteful comments. His comments left the hall literally asking for him not only to leave the stage but also the hall.
since that day, I have seen on social media people asking for the minister’s resignation or at least an apology from him to the nation. My take is that he must tender an unreserved apology. He will then become an ambassador to help change the mindset of those men out there who think women should be blamed for being raped or being beaten, among other acts of violence. This shows we still have more “unfinished business” to work on the mentality of men like him who are in positions of power. He should be enlightened that there is no justification for violence against women and girls in particular. We should not justify rape by saying the woman was drunk, she was naked or had on some skimpy dress, or even that she likes being in the company of men to name but a few of the many excuses perpetrators and their sympathizers often advance as reason for their bestiality.
On a final note, we need more male engagement in our campaigns to achieve the ZEROS. Many of our compatriots hold the view held by Minister Alpha Timbo. We now have to educate the public to support victims in their search for justice instead of further breaking them down by blaming their agony on them.
Editor’s Note: This article had been written before the minister apologised on television for his comment.
© 2019 Politico Online
