Juliana Francis
On the 20th of November 2023, members of civil society organisations (CSOs) and media practitioners gathered at the Yaba area of Lagos to mark the 20th Anniversary of the Centre for Women’s Health and Information (CEWHIN) and also to brainstorm on how to further escalate the discussions women and girls’ wellbeing.
It was certainly a day mixed with joy and sadness as the Chief Executive Officer of CEWHIN, Atinuke Odukoya, took a walk down memory lane.
Fighting tears, she recalled how she and her workaholic friend, the late Adebanke Akinrimisi, started CEWHIN.
Addressing the crop of selected people, Odukoya said the CSOs and media roundtable was part of the celebrations of the 20th anniversary of CEWHIN.
According to her, CEWHIN aimed to put on the front burner issues of the wellbeing of women and girls and in essence the wellbeing of Nigeria.
She added: “Our discussion is to enable us to explore the critical role of media representation in addition to the work CSOs are already doing in shaping the well-being of women and girls.
“We are bringing to the fore the influence of media portrayals on societal perceptions, self-esteem, and opportunities for women and girls. The discussion emphasises the need for a more nuanced, positive, and empowering representation in media to contribute to the overall wellbeing of women and girls nationally.”
Before she dived proper into the day’s agenda, Odukoya explained CEWHIN is an independent, not for profit making, non-governmental organisation established to promote improved quality of life through empowerment strategies and programmes that enable individuals to actualize their rights.
She stated that CEWHIN’s vision is a society where women and girls are empowered to realise their mental, social and physical well-being, and it is committed to empowering individuals for improved quality of life and social change.
She explained: “The primary focus is the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. The idea for the formation of the Centre was conceived in September 2000. The organisation was founded by Adebanke Akinrimisi of blessed memory and Atinuke Odukoya in the year 2003. I cannot but mention the hard work and commitment that Adebanke put into the CEWHIN that we now see, sleepless nights, continuous engagement across states and an unparalleled commitment.”
Odukoya said that CEWHIN was committed to empowering individuals for improved quality of life and social change, stressing: “Our operations have covered the following states Benue, Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Kaduna, Kwara and Oyo state particularly and nationally in some instances. CEWHIN has three major programme areas, empowerment, health, and governance.”
Explaining the major programme areas, Odukoya said that on empowerment, the organisation views it as a process of increasing the capacity of individuals or groups to make choices and to transform those choices into desired actions and outcomes.
“This understanding is considered integral to the achievement of the vision of CEWHIN. Our understanding of empowerment is that it is a process of change from an earlier state of disempowerment. It is a change in status from a level of lack of power to make a choice, to a level whereby choice does exist, and such a previously disempowered person/s acquires the ability to choose and also act on such a choice,” she said.
She further noted: “The ability to act at such a level requires an inner transformation which cannot be purchased with money, neither can it be given. It is about self-consciousness, self-esteem, and the actualization of one’s right to choose.
“The Centre designs and organises programmes that enable individuals and groups of persons to acquire knowledge and skills that they require to be able to make life-changing decisions and choices for their personal development and societal good.”
She emphasised that the primary areas of focus of the programme are information and resource centres, sexual and gender-based violence under this programme area and scholarship programme.
Speaking on the second major programme, which is health, Odukoya said: “Our definition of health is very broad. We view health as central to the enjoyment of all human rights, as such anything that will hinder women and girls’ ability to rise to their full potential will attract the centre’s attention under the health programme. CEWHIN’s health programme seeks to investigate and promote a better understanding of the underlying factors that hinder women and young girls from being in a state of complete well-being, including their inability to access appropriate health care services when they require same. It promotes a better understanding of the social-cultural issues that increase the vulnerability of women and young girls to various health challenges such as HIV and AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
“It seeks to build the capacity of individuals, especially women and young girls to actualise their health rights. It seeks to support health systems strengthening for improved gender responsive service delivery.”
The primary areas of focus under the health programme are maternal health, adolescent sexual and reproductive health, HIV and AIDS and public health information and research.
On governance, the CEO stated: “We strongly believe that without a participatory approach to governance, the much-desired social change cannot be realised. Governance can be effective and efficient when stakeholders are well informed of the rights duties and responsibilities and also acquire the necessary skills to participate meaningfully in the processes of decision making.
“Governance is also better when those who lead know the issues and use such knowledge and current information in decision-making. The governance programme of CEWHIN seeks to bring government and citizens together in specific sectors towards the realisation of good governance.
“Through its governance programme, CEWHIN supports systems and processes aimed at removing barriers to citizen’s effective participation in governance. It creates platforms for improved transparency and accountability as well as promotes and facilitates enhanced citizens’ capacity for citizens’ constructive engagement with government in different development sectors.”
Odukoya maintained that in the organisation’s 20 years of existence, it has provided scholarships for over 95 recipients at tertiary, secondary and primary school levels across five states – Lagos, Ogun, Kwara, Oyo and Kaduna states, through the scholarship fund which was recently renamed the Adebanke Akinrimisi Scholarship Fund.
“Our work span has covered a wide range of activities all geared towards promoting the well-being of women and girls. Capacity strengthening is a major area of work for the centre,” said Odukoya. “Mainstreaming gender and social inclusion across our activities have been a major Across all the states where we work, we have trained over 6,000 law enforcement officers on ending GBV in Lagos, Osun, Oyo and Ekiti state.”
She told the gathering that in the course of the work of CEWHIN, the organisation’s work, she and her team realised that media plays a pivotal role in shaping societal norms and perceptions.
She noted: “The way women and girls are portrayed in media significantly influences how they are perceived in society, impacting their overall wellbeing. This roundtable seeks to examine the various dimensions of media representation and its profound influence on the well-being of women and girls generally.
“Discussions around women and girls’ well-being should encompass a broad range of issues that address their social, economic, health, and educational needs. However, this morning we will be focusing on the following key areas where CEWHIN majorly operates, gender-based violence (GBV), prevention strategies and interventions, support systems for survivors and legal frameworks and enforcement mechanisms.”
She also said that CEWHIN leverages technology, engaging technology to prevent and respond to GBV, leveraging technology for empowerment and safety.
Furthermore, CEWHIN challenges harmful stereotypes, promoting gender-sensitive education and addressing cultural practices that impact women and girls negatively.
The organisation also believes in building strong support networks, Community Psychological First Aiders (CPFAs), Community-based programmes for women and girls and engaging religious institutions in gender equality initiatives.
On reproductive health and rights, CEWHIN believes women and girls should have access to healthcare services, sexual and reproductive health education, and family planning and maternal health.
Odukoya said that CEWHIN also champions mental health awareness and destigmatization, support systems for mental health challenges, and addressing stressors unique to women and girls.
She said: “CEWHIN believes in equal access to quality education, vocational training for sustainable livelihoods and financial literacy and inclusion. Women’s Rights as Human Rights, Corruption and its impact on women and girls, Advocacy for women’s rights, Implementation of international conventions and awareness of legal frameworks protecting women and girls.
“These issues are interconnected and addressing them holistically contributes to creating an environment where women and girls can thrive, free from discrimination and inequality.
“There are challenges and opportunities, Persistent Challenges, Identifying challenges such as the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes, unequal representation, and the impact of sensationalism, Opportunities for Change, Highlighting successful initiatives and opportunities for positive change in media representation through collaboration, policy advocacy, and conscious content creation.”
Odukoya said that promoting the well-being of women and girls necessitated a transformative shift in media representation. “By challenging stereotypes, fostering media literacy, and amplifying positive narratives, the media can become a powerful force for positive change. The media landscape must promote the holistic well-being of women and girls, with the emphasis being on the collective responsibility of media outlets, content creators, policymakers, and the audience to contribute to advocating for a media landscape that uplifts and empowers women and girls nationwide.”
During the plenary discussions, it was suggested to CEWHIN that to escalate the discussion of women and girls’ wellbeing and showcase the continual feats of the organisation, it should train a crop of journalists and arm them with the fineness of reporting issues relating to the major programmes without degenerating to misinformation, disinformation or revictimization of survivors.
It was also suggested that CEWHIN should make a conscious effort to partner and collaborate with media organisations, including the Nigerian Union of Journalists and the Guild of Editors.
