Enugu Women Demand Equal Inheritance Rights With Men
Participants at a forum aimed at ending discrimination against women’s right to inherit their parents’ property in some communities in the Nsukka cultural zone of Enugu State, Saturday, demanded equal rights between males and females to enthrone peace and equity in families and communities.
According to them, cultural relegation of women is a major factor contributing to family and communal discord in the zone.
They spoke during a sensitization organized for women of the Obukpa community which was conducted by Community Life Project, a non-governmental organisation.
Mrs Caroline Ezeugwu, from Owerre-Obukpa, said, “We appreciate this sensitisation. Women are being oppressed. This initiative will give women a sense of belonging.
“We should have voices as humans. Even in families, women are given limitations.
“The worst is women who have no male children in their husbands’ homes. They are treated as not being bona fide members of their families.
“I have male and female children in my family. I will make sure that both sexes are trained equally. I advocate equal sharing of parental property between men and women.”
Mrs Chima Blessing Ifeyinwa, from Ejuona-Obukpa, said, “I expect this programme to reach every community. Men oppress women a lot, especially in sharing property.
“We are not allowed to inherit our fathers and husbands’ property as individuals. But when it comes to bringing money to the family, we are taxed.
“We are carrying the advocacy across women. God will help this initiative. The discrimination differs from community to community. If we tell men to include us in sharing such property and they refuse, we might seek legal action. We must take action to stop this discrimination.”
The Programme Manager, CLP, Celine Osukwu, said the initiative was to educate community stakeholders on the need to abrogate some age-long obnoxious cultural practices, including those against the womanhood.
According to her, “CLP has a module of grass-roots approaches to tackling these age-long issues. We started the advocacy last year.
“Enugu is among the states with a high-level gender-based violence in Nigeria, followed by Imo State. We are opportune to get funding for these two states.
“We chose some communities in Nsukka because of the prevalence of these anti-women’s practices.
“We already held meetings with the youths, women, and town unions of selected communities where we tabled these cultural challenges.
“We also tabled these issues before the traditional rulers’ council of Enugu North zone. We arrived at a slogan that ‘nwanyi bu nwa’ – females are bona fide children.
“We are building their capacities. Today we are educating women on the peaceful approaches to securing their rights at family and community levels. After this, we are going to the people with disabilities.”
On the possibility of some men refusing the gender-equality advocacies, Osukwu said, “Our approach is from the root causes. It is a case of tradition and norms. That is why we adopt this interactive approach.
“We are talking with the influential stakeholders. Some men have condemned not allowing their females to inherit their property. These issues are being tabled before town union forums.
“We are not going legal. If the traditional institutions agree to work with us, what else will be the problem? Peace would be enthroned in various families and communities.”
Enugu Women Demand Equal Inheritance Rights With Men is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
