WOMEN CAUTIONED AGAINST USING EMPOWERMENT AS GBV TOOL

Agua Farida expressing a point during an interview on women empowerment

By Godwin Abedican

Arua
Women are called upon to understand empowerment and emancipation so as to avoid the rising cases of domestic and gender-based violence brought about by differences created as a result of empowerment of the women.
 
Women's emancipation and empowerment is a movement that aims to free women from social, political, legal, and economic restrictions. It also seeks to achieve gender equality and equal rights for women. 
 
Badaru Florence, the Deputy Head teacher Ragem Primary school says that, it’s regrettable that a number of women have taken emancipation in a negative way and end-up undermining their husbands.
 
“The women who have been suppressed have woken up from sleep. Others see this as a way of being given the freedom to do whatever they want, but women need sensitization. Through experience many women now say they have the power and authority to do anything that they want and yet in reality, that is not the way to go,” she said.
 
Women emancipation is achieved through factor such as, Social change, which Challenges traditional cultural values and practices that are oppressive and exploitative Legal reforms, removing gender discrimination from laws and institutions, Economic empowerment where women are provided with equal access to resources and opportunities.
 
Education, in which there is expanding of the access to education for women at all levels, Political participation, where women are given the right to vote and hold public offices.

Badaru Florence, the Deputy head teacher Ragem Primary school 

Agua Farida, therefore calls upon her fellow women to understand what emancipation means and do the right things such that unity can be maintained in families.
 
“Somehow, the women have drawn away from and have misunderstood empowerment. From my own perspective, I look at women empowerment as elevating of women so that they are productive in the community, not really to wake up and take up the roles of a man and become everything in the home, and wanting to become the decision maker at the end of the day.
 
It’s very important when we tell women that empowerment looks at them being productive in the community,” Agua advised.
 
The liberation of Women advocates for equality and empowerment of women, often focusing on challenging traditional gender roles, promoting women's rights, and addressing issues related to work, class, and social structures.
 
According to Adrabo Atiku Robert, the family life desk coordinator for Arua diocese, when women abandon the gender roles given to them as a result of emancipation, it becomes very difficult to maintain family bonds and marriages.

“There are some men who have come to me for being abused by their women who say they are now empowered. I am sorry to say that we have talked to some of the women but still they have not come to be together to live as husband and wife. The women just feel they can no longer be with their men because their status has changed. We have really tried our best but many have not come together. But there are some others after long talks and discussions with them, they realize that, this money or the power has been given to them in order to make their families to grow.
 
It is always argued that women's emancipation through education and participation in income-generating activities leads to women's socio-economic development, thereby allowing for greater control over decisions and life choices but these seem to mis understood by many women.