A drug addict is someone like you, the only difference is a drug and its addiction. Most drug addicts swim in the river of confusion and depression because of the discrimination and condemnation that they face directly or indirectly in reality. We need to redefine who a drug addict is in our society. A drug addict is not just someone that takes cocaine or tramadol, it's someone that abuse pain killers, sleeping pills, energy drinks, and cough syrups just to feel Better without doctor's prescription. "When you see something say something"🚀🚀🚀🙏 Don't spread hate, speak the truth. An abuse to Drugs is abuse to oneself (body, health, and life). Instead of throwing stones at a drug addict, throw love and truth at them, tell them about the side effect and help them get involved in something else to re-wire their habits and cravings. 🔺 Say No to drugs 🔻Stop spreading hate overdose 🔻Stop by-passing doctors prescription 🔻Always speak the truth before condemning. 💌 Thanks for reading this, Today, Friday, 26 June is International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2020 and I decided to write this short piece❤️😭🤓❤️ AuthorEmmanuel Anegbe
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For anybody whose once normal everyday life was suddenly shattered by an act of sexual violence– the trauma, the terror, can shatter you long after one horrible attack. It lingers. You don’t know where to go or who to turn to…and people are more suspicious of what you were wearing or what you were drinking, as if it’s your fault, not the fault of the person who assaulted you…We still don’t condemn sexual assault as loudly as we should. We make excuses, we look the other way…[Laws] won’t be enough unless we change the culture that allows assault to happen in the first place.
- President Barack Obama, September 2014 I'll begin with a story a friend recently told me. We were at a stopover in Dubai, trapped within the airport walls as we waited for our next flight. We were sitting in the waiting room, I was exploring YouTube with the airport WiFi and my mom was seated beside me, reading. As we whiled away time, a girl, I later got to know was also Nigerian, ran over to my mom, eyes filled with fear as she gripped my mom's hand, almost kneeling. "Ma, there's this man that keeps touching me and asking me to follow him to the bathroom. I don't know what to do." She said, almost in a whisper, as she inclined her head to where she had been sitting. My mom asked her to sit beside her and the girl let out a small sigh of relief. She told us she was nineteen and was waiting for a plane to Canada where she would begin schooling. As we talked, a white man approached us. He was red in the face, a bit large and as he got closer, the smell of alcohol became heavy in the air. Our new friend sunk into her chair, as though she was trying to make herself smaller and whispered to us that he was the man who had been harassing her. My mom held her hand as he sat beside me. He grinned at us, like there was a joke being told that we weren't privy of. "What do you want?" My mom had asked and he had the audacity to place his hand on my thigh. I moved away from him, walking around to sit by the other side of my mom. Unflinching, he asked my mom to let one of the girls follow him to the bathroom. Later, my mom told me the only reason she didn't report him was because she didn't want to cause a scene. She had told him that she would call security if she saw him come close to any of us again. He walked away, apparently, he was not that drunk to actually dare her. But even then, when the girl and I went to explore the airport, she kept looking back, as though she was waiting for him to burst out of any corner and grab her, but he never bothered us again. Now, it makes me wonder what he had done when she was alone, what she had endured from him before she had had enough. I recalled this after reading through the findings of a poll carried out in 2019 by NOIPOLLS, one of which implied that one in every three girls in Nigeria would have experienced at least one form of sexual assault by the time they reach 25 years. I found it appalling, but not surprising. In this article, I would focus on a hushed epidemic, RAPE. Before we continue, what exactly is rape? Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person who is incapable of giving valid consent, such as one who is unconscious, incapacitated, has an intellectual disability or is below the legal age of consent. At the beginning of this month, I woke up to new rape reports for three consecutive days, the hashtags - #JusticeforUwa , #JusticeforBarakat , #WeAreTired - trending on all social platforms. Just this year, the Nigerian police has recorded about 717 rape cases between January and May. Last week, all thirty -six state governors resolved to declare a state of emergency over rape and violence. What is even more disturbing is the trend of 'victim-blaming' among Nigerians. "...These Nigerians have been raised to think of woman as inherently guilty. And they have been raised to expect so little of men that the idea of men as savage beings with no self-control is somehow acceptable." -Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Findings from the 2019 NOIPOLL mentioned above revealed that "Curiously, Nigerians blamed the incidence of rape mainly on indecent dressing (47 percent), excess intake of alcohol by the offenders (36 percent) and victims (34 percent) and promiscuity (34 percent)." It is a disturbing statistic. Even after the crime is committed, the victim is indirectly tagged as a solicitor of the assault done to her/him. This way of thinking deflects blame from where it rightly belongs with the perpetrator of the crime. No one is to be blamed but the rapist and we must spread this, so that those who are too ashamed to speak out, know that their voices would be heard. How can we put an end to this trend of 'victim-blaming'? Public enlightenment is the key. We need to have these conversations in schools, churches, mosques, social events, among friends, among family. Parents should be willing to talk about these issues as early as possible with their kids. Rebutting Myths about Rape. Myth: Only girls can be raped Fact: Both men and women can be raped. Despite this, in Nigeria- apart from in the FCT Abuja, only women are recognized by law as capable of being raped. Myths: If you are in a relationship with someone, then you can have sex with them any time. Fact: A person is the only one entitled to her/his body. She/He has the right to say "No" at any time and consent should always be given. Myth: Once it comes to sex, women always play hard-to-get and say 'no' when they really mean 'yes'. Fact: Everyone has the legal right to say 'no' and even change their mind at any point during sexual intercourse. No means No. Myth: If someone gets drunk, it is their fault if they get raped. Fact: People have the right to get drunk without being assaulted. One of the key determinants of rape is if the person is incapable of giving valid consent, such as one who is unconscious, incapacitated. Myth: If someone doesn't scream or fight their attacker off, then it wasn't rape. Fact: There are many reasons why a person might not scream or fight back. Patricia Weiser states in her article 'What is Rape?', that the victim's fear of the assault and its outcome renders her passive, not compliant, and without consent. Many people find that they cannot move or speak at all – this is a very common reaction. Myth: Women cannot commit sexual assault. Fact: Women can rape/assault women, children and men, just as men can rape/assault women, men and children. Myth: The Nigerian Age of Consent is 11. Fact: The official age of consent in Nigeria is 18, NOT 11! HOW TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS FIGHT AGAINST RAPE.
I hope you found this article informative. Granted, this article was mostly focused on my home country Nigeria, but rape is everywhere, so lets be united and stand against this crime and work to put an end to the prevalent rape culture by raising our voices and saying NO, THIS ISN'T RIGHT! Rasaq: Hello everyone! Kindly welcome Ms. Tife. She's our interviewee today. Rasaq: Hello Tifechris I'm Abdulrasaq. Tell us a bit about who you are. Tife: I am Fagbenro Christiana Boluwatife preferably called tifechris. A Student of Geology at OOU, a visual artist, writer, and poet. Rasaq: So Tifechris What does it feel to be a female in the 21st century? Tife: It's awesome...with females now having the liberty to be who they want to be with unlimited access to opportunities that once weren't available to them centuries past, it's a good time to stand out and place landmarks as a female. Rasaq: Awesome! Rasaq: So speaking of the current gender and domestic violence in Nigeria and in Africa, what would you identify as the root cause? Tife: I believe the root cause is embedded in the fact that the human mind is evil...and while growing up...our environment plays a role in shaping what comes out of that mind, the environment lacks the adequate action against it, the environment is the family and the society at large. But most times cases like these are overlooked and only given attention when there's a cause to trend. Gender and domestic violence have always been in existence and it will continue to be...it can only be reduced and in a situation where no action is done against it, the rate would increase drastically. Rasaq: Hmm...the danger of the unconscious biases society has programmed us with. Tife: Yes, we tend to divert attention and effort instead of striking a balance, just like when children are being trained while growing up, more attention is fixed on the female. Rasaq: Thank you Ms. Tife. Rasaq: Next question... Have you had a course to advocate for a female before? If yes, please share your experience. Tife: I haven't had a cause to advocate for a female in person or verbally. But I'm a member of some organizations that speak for females and I also pass messages through some of my paintings. Rasaq: Being a part of a collective action goes a long way nevertheless. So how does it feel to be a "feminist or " female advocate"? Tife: Well, I'd prefer the female advocate, and it feels great to stand for the right of fellow females...to help females who can't speak up by themselves, to tell the stories of those who can't...and to collectively stand with females for what is right. Rasaq: Nice! Really nice to hear. Finally, ma'am what's your message to females in society? Tife: Don't let your gender or present condition limit you from attaining your goals. Hard work always pays. Tife Christiana Fagbenro is a young creative studying Geology at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State. She hails from Ado Odo-Ota, Ogun State. Tife started making art at a very early age of 5, but she developed a deep interest at the age of 18 when she learned how to draw using pencils and started using oil colors. Her passion for Art went deeper when she discovered the beauty in it and not just beauty, but also a way of expressing oneself. She’s a Christian, a lover of science, and very active in sports in the likes of swimming and basketball. She shares her Art to the world through stage painting, writing, music and poetry, she is also an active volunteer and a member of few NGOs that aim at making a positive impact on the lives of others. .: What was it that initially inspired you to start your organization/NGO/business?A: After finding out that I was allergic to air pollution and noting that it was a major issue in my community and Nigeria at large, I wanted to try to solve this, however I couldn’t solve the problem of air pollution myself apparently because it takes a lot of resources so I decided to forgo the older generation who do not necessarily believe in climate change and air pollution to go for the younger generation to help them understand the impact of the decisions they are making and also how air pollution is linked to land pollution and water pollution.
Q: What's your take on education? A: As someone who began working before entering into the university and earning a six-figure salary without a college degree and with just 21st century skills learnt online, I believe that education should not just be within the four walls of a classroom. I don’t believe fully in the conventional means of education. Most kids don’t go to school however a lot of them have access to phones, movies which could in one way or the other impact their lives. A lot of the younger generation are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. I believe that the social media can be used to make them aware of the effects of pollution in the environment. Q: How did you start out setting up your organization/NGO/business? A: I started the NGO just like everyone else: I had an idea of a solution to a prevalent problem in my community. I created a Facebook page, an Instagram page, a Twitter page and a LinkedIn account and began to build the organization’s social media presence. Personally, I already had a brand so I leveraged on my online presence as a developer in the developers community to create a buzz around my organization. Also, through a challenge I had participated in and won, I had access to a board advisor of a reputable company. He became one of my mentors and connected me to a large network and in doing that, I was able to build my mission and expand my team. I started with my teammates through social media before eventually moving to a virtual workplace. Q: What was a particular challenge you came across and how did you overcome it and what was it that helped you not to lose sight of your goal? A: A challenge that I faced during the conception of my organization was deciding what it’s mission would be and also getting the support of family and friends in launching the organization. I was a able to overcome many challenges with the help from my mentor whom I mentioned earlier. Generally, I had several mentors who helped who offered advice and encouragement and helped in creating domains, hosting and all the other minor things needed in order to start a company. Q: Any advice to people that are just as interested in addressing the issue education inequity? A: One thing I always advice to people is that you don’t always have to start your own initiatives. You can join other initiatives who have the same idea as you do. Another advice is to never start an organization just because your friend has one. You should set out to solve problems affecting the community around you. Basically, I think it’s important to have mentors and a support system of teammates who can help you through the process of building your organization. |