Dr Zainab Balogun is a human rights activist and was a civil servant with Kwara State till she retired after 35 years of service. She shared her passion about rights of girls, women and children in this interview with BIOLA AZEEZ:
AS a human rights advocate, what motivates you?
I see it as a calling; I just cannot keep quiet when things go wrong in my environment. I always want to be on the side of the weak seeking justice.
As a civil servant, how did you cope with the issues of protocol, seeming injustices and other issues that appear being against public interest?
I will not agree with you totally that civil service seems against public interest. There could be some pockets of indiscipline in civil service but there are laid down rules that curb such acts. Let me tell you, the civil service is well structured in a way that the system moves appropriately as planned. I am not denying that there are black sheep in civil service but there are checks and balances here and there. I had issues with some persons in the civil service but a rolling stone gathers no moist, I am moving on, I do not stop when there are challenges, I am like a wild fire, I am unstoppable by God’s grace.
Presently, on the girl child, I strongly believe in fighting for the right of the girl child. The girl child is faced with too many challenges and there is a need to safeguard them from social vices that had sent many into early grave, unplanned life and unwanted situations.
There seems to be so much noise about the girl child, what precisely is the challenge facing the girl child and why not allow them weather the storm of life like their male counterparts?
The girl child is born naturally a weaker sex, fragile and deserves to be handled with tender care but, most times, the males around them don’t know how to take care of them. As it is often said, care for a girl, you care for a generation, you care for a male, it is him alone. The girl child is like a tree bearing fruits and regenerating. The girl child is full of resources, she becomes a mother, a grandmother, great grandmother and so on.
But don’t you think the boy child also requires same care?
All the children given by God are wonderful, they are gifts but I must be particular about the girl child as being very different specie among others. There are social vices that the girl child is exposed to and it is only by being systematic and determined that something serious can be done. There are cases of under aged marriages; girls as little as five years old are victims of rape. There are cases of sexual harassment of girls in the higher institutions and when some eventually gets married, we hear cases of domestic violence and some die as a result of this. Most times, persons who should be sent to jail over sex crimes are shielded due to cultural and superstitious beliefs, while at the other end, the emotional feelings of the victim, a girl child has been badly tampered with, how fair? That is why my advocacy is consistent, the law need to be put in place and followed to the letter, that abuse of a girl child will no longer be over looked. Attack on a housewife by her husband should no longer be swept under the carpet. A wife enduring a toxic marriage is often urged to stay for the sake of her children, potentially jeopardizing her own well-being and sanity.
Read Also: Niger govt shuts two secondary schools over communal clash
How does a onetime loving relationship turn sour as leading to bitterness?
I cannot say because humans differ; reasons for entering into relationships differ so also, how people manage their homes differ but my point is that no matter what, a wife should not be turned into a punching bag to be beaten like nobody’s daughter. From all religious angles, wife beating is not ideal, only an insane man will raise up his hand beating his loving wife like she is his daughter, even a daughter should not be beaten up at certain ages. As a man, one way to respect one’s self is by exercising self-control. I have gone round sharing ideas and experiences of people who pass through these challenges and in comparing notes, I come up with a write up which is called “Safeguarding the girl child from social vices”. In the book that I recently launched, I made mention of certain steps to curb this issue of social menace that the girl child comes across as a child, as a student and as a wife. This book highlights some of these social vices such as Gender-based discrimination and inequality, Child marriage and forced unions, Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), Lack of access to education, Sexual exploitation and human trafficking, Domestic violence and abuse, Workplace discrimination and unequal pay, Limited political representation and decision-making power, Restrictive social norms and expectations, inadequate healthcare and reproductive rights. In the nearest future, there will be a further review of the book either by myself or future researchers working on the advocacy for safeguarding the girl child from social vices.
You do not look old, what is the secret?
It is God and nothing but God. After that I give myself peace of mind. I rest well, eat well, I eat my food like medicine, so that I will not be looking for medicine when I am sick.
and then