The 11-year-old son of a single mother who cried out for help today on Twitter, has been found.
Nelo Atuanya said her 11-year-old son named Atuanya Chiemezie Victor was found in Asaba where he went to board a bus so that he could go to Lagos. She said those at the park detained him until someone from her town showed up and brought him back home.
The grateful mum wrote: “Pls help me RT that he has been found ooo, he was detained in Asaba where he went to board to Lagos and brought back this morning to my hometown.”
She added: “Glory to God umunnem He has been found. Your prayers and concerns got him safe. He was found in Asaba where he went to take bus to Lagos and was detained by the park people, until they found someone from my hometown who then brought him back to the village not up to 30mins ago.”
Before he was found, his mum had said that he was last seen at the Lagos park in Onitsha, Anambra state.
Popular Tanzanian actress, Zena Yusuf Mohammed aka Shilole has announced her decision to end her marriage of 3-years, citing domestic violence.
On Wednesday, July 8, the actress took to her Instagram page to share photos of her battered face as she opened up about her violence-riddled marriage. She alleged that she had been a victim of domestic violence throughout her marriage to her husband Uchebe, whom she started dating in 2016.
In the heartbreaking post, which she wrote in Swahili, the actress, 32, also issued an apology for staying quiet about her issues while encouraging other women in violent or abusive marriages to speak out for help.
She wrote:
“I am writing this with a clear mind and conscience. First, I would like to apologise to my family. I am seeking your forgiveness because I assured you that my marriage was trouble-free, while in reality, it wasn’t peaceful.
I have been a victim of domestic violence and other evil acts I cannot speak about on this platform.
“I apologise because every time I heard my fellow women cry for justice after being assaulted by their spouses, I would urge them to voice out their grievances. When I heard that there was a woman from Kigamboni, who had been fatally battered and her body set alight by her husband, I was the first one to say: ‘she should have spoken out about her marital troubles’. I pretended that I was not one of the domestic abuse victims; I distanced myself from the group of women who were victims of domestic violence. Forgive me.
“[As an artist], I am a role model to many in the society; I represent women on many fronts. Today, I have decided to break my silence on my marital woes. My husband Ashrafu Sadiki, popularly known as Uchebe, has been battering me too much!
“And, after meting out violence on me, he never calls to show concern or know about my wellbeing. Other people, unknown to me, are the ones who usually nurse me in hospitals after being beaten up by my spouse. In my marriage, there are many other bad things that have been done to me, making my union lack the expected bliss.
“Making matters worse, I am a mother; a parent of children who look up to me as their mother and father. I won’t allow myself to be killed and leave my children motherless, not today!
“I loved Uchebe, I persevered to be with him despite his inadequacies; I gave him everything (my innocence, my wealth, and when he needed a woman to stand by him so that he could get on his feet — financially and socially — I was there for him). I did all that because I knew he and I were together in everything as husband and wife. Despite all that, my sacrifices did not stop him from battering me endlessly, disrespecting and betraying me.
“Two days ago, when I returned home from my livelihood-seeking activities in Dar es Salaam, he seriously beat me up, forgetting that I had gone out there to look for food not only for my children, but also him. Why did he assault me? Because of petty marital conflicts that are present in all marriages. He did not batter me because he had found me cheating on him, or on issues that are hard to solve through dialogue, no. Furthermore, I respect him so much.
“Nonetheless, he saw the best way of solving the small dispute that we had, was through battering me senselessly. I was asleep when he punched me in the face.
“I know there is a section of people who will fault me for bringing to social media my marital woes, however, I would like to tell them that I was left with no other choice but to share my predicaments on this platform. What happens in my life, [being a public figure], should be known by my fans. Many people in the society look up to me as their role model.
“I have had enough [of domestic abuse], and from now henceforth, I would like to state categorically that no one should refer to me as Uchebe’s wife. People should refer to me as ‘that mother who chose to prioritise her children’s welfare and wellbeing at the expense of a toxic relationship’. They should describe me as ‘that woman who chose her happiness and safety [over a violence-ridden marriage].
“My female fans and other women in the society should use this social media post of mine as a strong message that says ‘we [as women] should speak up when we have been reduced to punching bags and recipients of brutality, because if we don’t, we’ll end up dead someday’.”
Financial literacy is essential to anyone, and for women responsible for providing for their children and families, the skill of making, managing and growing wealth is fundamental. One of the common threads of most single female breadwinners (single mothers) is that they live in survival mode. When society continues to portray women responsible for their families as struggling, broke and always needy, it is not farfetched for women to begin to believe these narratives and live into it, but it does not have to be so.
Therefore, Wevvo Nigeria has partnered with the founder of Smart Money Africa and Author of “The smart money woman” and “The smart money tribe”; Arese Ugwu to educate single moms on financial literacy and savings culture.
According to the founder of Wevvo Nigeria Weyinmi Eribo; “We believe that it is possible to live parallel lives of caring for the family while attaining financial freedom, hence our reason for partnering with Arese Ugwu to share her knowledge in this regard. I founded Wevvo because I know that women struggle in many ways, and for single female breadwinners it is worse, a full circle of negligence and lack of appreciation for the struggles we go through. I have seen several times how narratives have put women in boxes, this single story continues to create gaps in women’s’ careers and businesses. At Wevvo, we are changing this narrative.
Wevvo Nigeria is a resource and community-based platform that supports single female breadwinners with access to finance, business capacity boosting trainings and workshops, mentoring and a community to thrive, a safe space for healing and growth, learn more about our work and join the community.
Join us on the 18th of July in a zoom event where we will be learning money tips, asking questions, and sharing experiences unique to single female breadwinners.
Amazon just acquired Zoox, a self-driving startup company, run by Black female CEO Aicha Evans, for $1.2 Billion, Black Enterprise reports.
Zoox is the maker of self-driving vehicles built for purpose that also happen to be eco-friendly. Since 2014, the company has been testing these autonomous vehicles in Las Vegas and San Francisco, with most referring to them as a “robotaxi” service. For the last two years , Evans has been at the helm, working as CEO to help the company expand. Now, Amazon, a longstanding investor in various self-driving startups, has acquired the company for over $1 billion.
“This acquisition solidifies Zoox’s impact on the autonomous driving industry. We have made great strides with our purpose-built approach to safe, autonomous mobility, and our exceptionally talented team working every day to realize that vision. We now have an even greater opportunity to realize a fully autonomous future,” Evans said.
The online retail giant plans to use the technology to tackle last-mile deliveries, officially automating ground delivery and revolutionizing the industry. Chief Safety Innovation Officer at Zoox, Mark Rosekind, spoke about the possibilities of the partnership, saying, “We now have an even greater opportunity to realize a fully autonomous future. We’re going to start seeing [in] three to five years where people start actually deploying in cities, but it’s going to be 20 to 30 years before you start seeing this all over the place.”
Evans will help spearhead the initiative, continuing to lead in her current role as CEO.
Netflix named Bozoma “Boz” Saint John as their new Chief Marketing Officer, making her the company’s first Black C-Suite executive, Bloomberg reports.
Saint John is one of the most sought after marketing executives in her industry, boasting a 20 year career spanning multiple sectors. The marketing guru is coming over to Netflix from sports and entertainment giant Endeavor. Before that, she was Head of Global Consumer Marketing at Apple Music and prior to that, she worked with Pepsi-Cola North America as head of the Music and Entertainment Marketing Group.
Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos spoke to Deadline about Saint John’s appointment, saying, “Bozoma Saint John is an exceptional marketer who understands how to drive conversations around popular culture better than almost anyone. As we bring more great stories to our members around the world, she’ll define and lead our next exciting phase of creativity and connection with consumers.”
The online streaming company has been working behind the scenes to bolster inclusion, committing $100 million to Black banks and figuring out ways to diversify their workforce which as of now, is just 7% Black. Saint John said she hopes that she can help to forge a new path at Netflix.
“I’m thrilled to join Netflix, especially at a time when storytelling is critical to our global, societal well-being. I feel honored to contribute my experience to an already dynamic legacy, and to continue driving engagement in the future,” Saint John said.
There is a lot of information on the cyber space on rape and the legal impediments of rape; some right some wrong. This article aims to separate the facts from fiction and also to provide some guide for rape survivors if they intend to pursue a criminal case against alleged rapists.
In a nutshell, rape is non-consensual sexual intercourse. When a man has sex with a woman without her consent (in Nigeria – apart from in the FCT Abuja, only women are capable of being raped). When a woman has non-consensual sex with a man it is termed sexual assault. Sexual assault is similar to rape, but is not rape. ( Lawpadi 2018) ( this has been expanded to all states where VAAP has been signed)
1. Myth One: Age of consent in Nigeria is 11; This information is false; the Child’s Rights Act of 2003 sets the age of consent at 18; however the challenge here is some states domesticated the law and reduced age of consent in their states while 11 states are yet to domesticate the Childs Rights Act. (Domestication of a law means when a law is passed by the Nigerian National Assembly and signed by the President, states also have to pass the law and the state governors also sign hence making that law applicable in those states). Advocacy should be focused on getting the remaining 11 states on board.
2. Myth 2: Since 1960 there has been only 18 Rape Convictions in Nigeria; This information is also false. Though I am unable to get a current figure the number of convictions is no where around 18. Even though this figure is still low, the challenges of getting convictions have mostly been from under reporting by victims and family members who believe the court and legal system may not give them justice. In some cases families have received compensation from the alleged rapists and refused to pursue cases further, in other cases lack of diligent prosecution , also poor training of police officers who receive reports of rape cases have discouraged victims from pursuing cases further. It is in response to this that some states have established helplines for sexual and domestic assault and some NGOs have worked to help victims get justice.
Aishatu Ene
Myth 3: Rape Laws are Lax: While laws could be better in some areas eg; marital rape and redefining rape to mean sex without consent for both genders; the current laws are quite harsh on offenders. The VAAP law now has addressed some of these concerns.
There are 4 laws that deal with rape around Nigeria; The Criminal Code – this is applicable in all the Southern States
A. The Penal Code – this is applicable in all the Northern States
B. The Criminal Laws of Lagos – this is applicable only in Lagos State
C. The Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act – this has been domesticated by over 16 states currently
D. The Child Rights Act – this is only applicable in the States which have domesticated it ( Law Padi 2018).
These are the stipulated punishments for sexual crimes in Nigeria;
i. Assault with intent to commit unnatural offence (against the order of nature) is punishable with 14 years imprisonment
ii. Indecent assault on males is punishable by 3 years imprisonment
iii. Rape is punishable by life imprisonment, with or without caning.
iv. Attempt to commit rape is punishable with 14 years imprisonment
v. Indecent assault on females is punishable with 2 years imprisonment
vi. Abduction is punishable with 7 years imprisonment
vii. Abduction of girls under sixteen is punishable with two years imprisonment
Please note that ignorance of the age of the girls or as regards consent will not ground a defence. ( Wale Joseph November 2015; My Job Mag )
Step By Step Guide to reporting Rape Cases in Nigeria:In the sad event of a rape; Rape Survivors may find these steps helpful:
1. Do not take a bath
2. Call for help and guidance: emergency response numbers nationwide is 112; in Abuja include; 112, 08078111126), Lagos : 112, 08137960048 E-mail : info@dsvrtlagos.org.
Kaduna: 09064528082. Enugu; 08060084441
3. Make a report at the Police Station; A report of the incident is very important to get the case started, it is very important to remember and report every detail as this will help get the offender. If the victim is calm enough it may help to write out details before going to the station. If the police response is not satisfactory kindly report to 08057000001 police complaint line. The IGP has recently pushed for establishment of gender desks in all Police Stations, a victim or family members should request for the gender desk or officer at a station.
4. Get Medical help and a medical report; Family or friends can rush the victim to the hospital while making a police report. It is important to go to the hospital so the victim can receive immediate medical attention to prevent infections and pregnancy and for medical evidence of a rape which is needed for a strong prosecution case. Also some hospitals have social workers who will offer immediate counseling for victims. A government hospital is preferable for prosecution purposes even though the Court of Appeal has ruled that reports from Private Hospitals are now admissible.
5. Speak with a Lawyer: It is very important to speak with a good lawyer to guide you through the process of getting justice; some NGOs offer this service. A good lawyer will ensure that there is diligent prosecution and guide against public statements that may compromise the case.
6. Speak to a trained counselor; Some NGOs offer post trauma counseling services; it is very important for a survivor to get counseling as rape is a highly traumatic occurrence. While a victim may look and act fine they may suffer Post Trauma in different forms which only a trained counselor can spot and guide through.
7. Use of Social Media: In some rape and sexual assault case social media has been instrumental in getting justice especially when the police is lax in investigations, also funding is important in pursing rape cases, medical examination; in cases where the alleged rapist has fled to another town funds may be needed to facilitate an arrest unfortunately the police will say they are not adequately funded to carry out inter- state arrests ; Social media can help with such funds and also act as pressure to ensure diligent investigation and prosecution; however not all details should be put on social media as some details could alert the suspect, and compromise the case hence the need to have some guidance from a lawyer.
Supportive Roles for Rape Survivors
:1. Family: Family should offer support and not judgment; in cases of minors parents should not disregard reports, tale signs in their children. It is also important to consider the victims health in all decisions and stop the practice of receiving compensation to kill cases. Victims must receive immediate medical attention and family must ensure this is done
2. Police: The Police must be trained to understand rape as a serious issue and take the right and honest steps to investigate cases. Better funding for investigation of cases will remove the burden from the victim who may be discouraged by the expenses in pursuing a case. Gender desks at some police stations is commendable; regular training and refresher courses on new laws is required. Also gender desks should be set up in all police stations so victims can recieve adequate assistance from the police to encourage follow up with prosecution.
3. State Prosecution: Work with the police to ensure diligent prosecution of rape cases. Open communication lines with victims and families. Ensuring that the burden of funding doesn’t lie with the victim and their families.
4. NGOs: Help provide/ source funding for prosecution, work with police and prosecution to ensure victim is well represented, act as a pressure group , provide support and counseling for victims, advocate for domestication of progressive laws on sexual violence, child’s rights act, VAAP law and the sexual offences bill. Also advocate to state Governments to set up response hotlines to domestic and sexual abuse.
5. Social Media: BE RESPONSIBLE IN REPORTING RAPE CASES; Responsible reportage by bloggers and social media users is important to ensure prosecution and for the victims recovery. Using the victims pictures, sharing pictures or videos of the rape if available are not helpful; sharing videos and pictures of a rape of a minor can be regarded as distribution of child porn which is a crime. Sharing pictures of a minor without blurring the face who has been abused is also unethical. While we are all passionate about ending rape and punishing offenders, it is responsible to remember as hard as it may be that the alleged rapist under the law until proven guilty still has a presumption of innocence.
6. Sexual Offenders register: States that have domesticated the VAAP law also operate a sexual offenders register where convicted rapist and sexual offenders are published. NAPTIP as a national body also operates a national sex offenders register.
Most importantly; DO NOT SHAME THE VICTIM, RAPE IS A CRIME, THE VICTIM SHARES NO BLAME IN RAPE.
Goodnews: Akwa Ibom has signed the VAAP law so they are no longer on this map
A 19-year old American with Nigerian roots, Oluwatoyin ‘Toyin’ Salau, has been found dead after she went missing last week.
Toyin, just 19-years of age, was an ardent Black Lives Matter activist who had been vocal during the recent protests stemming from the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer.
She had revealed on social media that she had recently been sexually assaulted.
Not long after, she went missing and this morning, she became a trending topic on Twitter with many mourning her passing.
Her body had reportedly been found over the weekend in Tallahassee, the state capital of the U.S state of Florida.
Tallahassee police have revealed they are investigating a double homicide and have arrested one suspect.
Twitter has descended into mourning with news of her death – another black person brutally killed in the United States under mysterious circumstances.
Oluwatoyin “Toyin” Salau Rest in Power Angel 💔 #JusticeForToyin after tweeting about her sexual assault she went missing for several days and her body was recently found. She was only 19. pic.twitter.com/4uAlVsAVHK
RIP Toyin. Stop killing Black women that are on the frontline for justice Stop killing black women PERIOD. Did way too much to lose her life like this. Rest in Power🖤 pic.twitter.com/SifYVSBEhV
A 22-year-old lady, identified as Uwaila Omozuwa, has died at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Edo State, after she was beaten and raped inside her local church. It was gathered that Uwaila, who was an 100-level Microbiology student of UNIBEN, goes to read everyday at The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Edo Province 10, Ikpoba Hill, Benin, but was unfortunately beaten, raped and hit with a fire extinguisher by unknown men on Wednesday 27th May, 2020.
According to a source, “The church’s security officer had gone to collect the keys to the church from its keeper when he was told that there was someone in the church already. He got to the church only to find Uwaila in a pool of blood and next to her was the fire extinguisher which was used to bash her face..
He ran back to inform the key keeper and his wife, who went to the church to meet her lifeless, thinking she was dead. After careful observation, they noticed she moved her hand and quickly rushed her to the hospital. It was at the hospital that Uwaila revealed she was reading all alone when some unknown men came into the church , beat, raped and hit her head with a fire extinguisher. However, she later passed on. . The case was eventually reported to Oregbeni Police Station, but nothing has been done about it so far. Her friends and family have now taken to social media to demand action, using the hashtag #JusticeForUwa
The postponed FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup to be held in India, was on Tuesday rescheduled to next year from February 17 to March 7. After a thorough assessment of the Covid19 pandemic, as well as the the much needed time to complete the UEFA, CONCACAF, CAF, etc, the world body made the decision.
The tournament was originally scheduled to be held from November 2 to 21 this year but was postponed last month due to the coronavirus outbreak, which brought global sports activities to a halt.
FIFA announced that the tournament will keep its original eligibility criteria and allow “players born on or after January 1, 2003 and on or before December 31, 2005” to compete.
“Following a thorough assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent recommendations made by the FIFA-Confederations COVID-19 Working Group, the Bureau of the FIFA Council has taken the decision to confirm the proposed new tournament dates, subject to further monitoring,” the FIFA said in a statement.
The hosts, India will be automatic qualifiers in what will be the country’s maiden appearance in the U-17 Women’s World Cup.
