Thousands of years of cultural influence that isolated women from political and economic spheres and forced them to accept lower social status, seem also to make women’s struggle unachievable, at least in the near future. This is because the attitudes of both men and women to each other are institutionalised and therefore slow to change.
Those deep rooted behaviors of belittling, insulting and harassing of women by the society also exposed them to despicable and heinous crimes. In earlier times, female infants were killed for the purposes of population control and as a sacrifice to the gods. In war times, women and girls are still taken captive for forced marriage and sexual slavery.
The oppression, subjugation and crimes against women continue unabated in the modern world. This latest state is expressed in the form of domestic violence, sexual harassment, prostitution, sexual slavery, gang rape, child trafficking and rape as a weapon of war.
After 40 years of revolution any government in our country, little has changed for women. We have very few female generals in the army and for the first time in our history, we have one woman holding the Deputy Prime Minister’s portfolio. Of course, we have several women parliamentarians.
Remarkable changes may be cited in education. Enrollment rates have significantly increased both in elementary and higher education. More women are entering engineering and science fields, traditionally considered as men’s disciplines.
But how many of them will occupy power in the varying tiers of authority remains to be seen. Otherwise, women are still in women’s jobs, which include the textile and garment industry, flower farming, secretarial services and the like.
The irony of internalised oppression is that women are exploited by women. Women as housemaids work 16 hours, on average, per day with no vacation, no schooling and inadequate food. Even worse, in some Middle Eastern countries, they are forced to serve multiple families, insulted, beaten and raped and even thrown out of high rise buildings.
Recently, the disturbing report from local police media was that two female teachers, one in Oromia and the other in Amhara regions, were brutally raped and murdered while travelling to their respective localities on foot escorted by men. The victims understood that they had to be accompanied by someone because they had to travel in unsafe areas. But they took the unwise decision by going with men they did not know well.
The Hanna Lalango case which shocked Addis Abeba was similar to that of the teachers except the she was gang raped and died of the consequences. In another incident reported recently, two teenagers – one in Tigray and the other in Oromia – were also sexually harassed and molested by their guardian teachers indicating that the safety of our girls is becoming more precarious each day.
Obviously, the number of these types of crimes which are reported is small compared to the volume and rates of other crimes. But they can disrupt and end normal life by inculcating fear and mistrust in social interactions.
As the causes of crime comprise a multitude of factors, so do the responses require comprehensive efforts. Community policing is a grand and good strategy for the simple reason that criminals are operating within the community but it needs to be classified into specific and targeted supporting strategies. Communities should also be defined clearly. Professional communities can generate crucial resources – knowledge, financial and other non-financials – in crime fighting efforts.
Likewise, protecting our girls, calls for a concerted and holistic approach at all levels. Obviously, parents take the primary responsibility for caring and socialising their children. Next are the neighborhood and school administrations. And finally, the time comes for girls to take responsibility for their own safety.
It is not wrong for the girl to argue, refuse and to say “no” on matters that affect her but growing in a male-dominated community, hearing phrases, such as “after all he is a son”, makes it very difficult for her to respond appropriately and to defend herself in later years when confronted with juvenile offenders and criminals.
For this reason, parents have to be taught to treat their children equally from the beginning. The girl’s openness and will to rebuff unwanted approaches should be respected. Also, specific crime prevention education should be designed for female teachers, school girls, and teenagers.
In addition, security arrangements should be provided for women and girls who travel on foot and work in remote areas. Notifying rural police departments about their travel and getting advice will greatly help in the girl’s safety.
In the same way, college girls should be educated on how to avoid suspicious drinks and drugs in fraternity parties. This is not fear, rather it is taking responsibility. Crime prevention leaflets distributed through health extension workers greatly reduce the information and communication gaps.
The problems our girls face now require no less than the various extension programs. To this end, stakeholders like the Ministry of Women, Youth & Children Affairs (MoWYCA), the federal and regional police, professional associations, religious leaders and empathetic men ought to join hands and lay out a programme that can be implemented at the household level. Otherwise, shedding tears and condemning acts of violence at grand hotels will do nothing.
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