The discovery of oil in Nigeria’s Niger Delta in 1956 has brought nothing but increased poverty, underdevelopment and violence to the people of the region. Demands for social and environmental justice have been met on the one hand, with brutal repression and the militarisation of the region, by successive governments and on the other, hostility and disdain by the multinationals such as Shell, Chevron and Elf, whose collective operations in the Niger Delta are one of the worst environmental records in the world: Pollution of the air and drinking water; damage to forest areas; oil fires that have left people dead and maimed occur on a regular basis; damage to fish and other sea creatures; oil spillage is also a regular occurrence; dumping of oil into rivers and creeks, and for the past 40 years uninterrupted gas flaring that produces noxious gases and soot close to villages and farms. Some of these flares spew balls of fire up to 300 feet in the sky. The people of the Niger Delta now find themselves “trapped between two evils – the oil companies on the one hand and the tyrannical Nigerian government on the other”. As a result of the above the people have been left pauperised and marginalized.

Women in the Niger Delta, particularly in rural areas are the breadwinners in their households and communities. They are the farmers, fisherwomen and they are responsible for the cooking, cleaning and raising of children and as such it is often women that are most directly affected by destruction of the environment. Nevertheless despite the many hours of daily labour, women have been active at village and community level in the struggle against the multinationals and state aggression. They have paid a high price for their activism. The military and armed police have systematically gone about terrorising whole communities, assaulting and beating indiscriminately. The aim of these attacks is to damage, humiliate or destroy. In addition women are subjected to repressive cultural traditions ranging from the prevention of women in the decision making processes of their communities, to forced female genital mutilation, widowhood rites and domestic violence. Women in the Niger Delta live in fear, fear of walking, fear of trading, fear of sexual abuse, rape, beatings, fear of violence.

The specific types of violence committed against women are: Sexual violence such as rape and prostitution; physical violence such as beatings, maiming and murder; violence against property and violence in the home or by men in the community.

With regard to prostitution and rape, the latter has become a ritual amongst the occupying military and armed police forces as well as security personnel employed by the oil companies. Starting as far back as 1993 at the beginning of the Ogoni campaign, rape has become part of the campaign to destroy and undermine the communities of the Niger Delta. In many cases the rape takes place in the presence of husbands, children, siblings and other members of the community. Women are often dragged from their homes at night, they and their husbands threatened with violence if they do not comply. Women in villages, farms or fishing grounds that are located close to oil facilities are at most risk of sexual abuse, - daily harassment, prostitution and rape - by oil workers both foreign and Nigerian including security guards.

In terms of physical violence, Women are beaten, maimed and abused by the military and police. In every instance the military and police turn peaceful demonstrations and protests into carnage. For women the result is rape, beatings, amputations or worse.

In the case of violence against property, women are subject to having their farms ransacked or their produce stolen. Again these actions are not random but rather systematic acts aimed at destroying property and thereby further undermining Niger Delta communities. Market women have had their stalls and wares destroyed. Often the soldiers, security personnel or oil workers (who know security guards will come to their defence) refuse to pay for their purchases and the women face verbal abuse and possibly physical violence if they protest.

Women are also subjected to mental and emotional abuse. Violence does not actually need to take place, once it has been established as the norm. It is enough to know that violence is a possibility. Women walk in fear as they try to go about their daily work. Fear of being raped, of being beaten or maimed. In addition many husbands, fathers and sons have been killed or maimed leaving women to assume even greater responsibilities. This has meant enduring serious hardship, in finding ways and means to support their families.

This is the abuse and oppression women face in the Niger Delta from the Nigerian government forces and the multinationals. This is in addition to the farmlands, fishing waters and livelihoods destroyed through environmental damage, to say nothing of the impact on the health of women and children, such as skin conditions, bronchial problems, and miscarriages.

Women are very often empowered by the very same events and experiences that seek to destroy them. This may include, becoming politically active, taking on new roles in defence of their property and maintenance of their households. This is also one way in which women can begin to at least attempt to heal the physical and psychological wounds they have suffered.

The women of the Niger Delta have a history of revolt and resistance towards the Multinationals dating back to the mid 1980s when two revolts took place. The first was the Ogharefe women's uprising which took place in the Ethiope LGA in 1984 and the second was the Ekpan women's uprising, in the Okpe LGA in 1986.

More recently there has been the EGI women's revolt which started in September 1998 and the Ijaw women who demonstrated in Port Harcourt in January 1999. The demands of the former were and are similar to the two previous revolts. On 23rd Nov some 7,000 EGI women gathered in the streets and began marching towards ELF's gas plant site. But Elf blocked the road with the help of some 100 mobile police so the most the women could do was to sing and dance as a means of making their message heard.

Since then the women have been accused of trespassing on their own land. Local police and oil personnel have continued to harass them. The present situation is that the women have aligned themselves with the EGI youth council and the struggle continues.

The Port Harcourt demonstration was organised by the Niger Delta Women for Justice (NDWJ) The women took to the streets of Port Harcourt, to demonstrate peacefully against the raping and molesting of women and young girls as well as the beating and killing of young men in Yenagoa, Kaiama and other Ijaw villages. The soldiers fired shots into the air and then arrested at least 34 of the women. Those arrested were stripped, flogged and verbally abused. Others sustained injuries whilst fleeing from the rampaging soldiers.

Grassroots women’s organisations have become steadily more politically active since 1999 as the violence in the Niger Delta has become more widespread. Organisations such as FOWA (Federation of Ogoni Women’s Associations) NDWJ, Egi Women’s Council, Agape is a Birthright and Warri Ladies Vanguard, have become active in the daily struggle against environmental and social injustice. Working together with local youth organisations and human and environmental rights groups, these organisations are involved in monitoring oil spills, and other environmental and human rights abuses, documentation of grievances and compensation claims, advocacy, human rights training.

It is the women together with the Youths that are taking the initiative in the Niger Delta struggling against both the multinationals, federal and state governments alliance and the 'old guard who have failed the people and would like to maintain the status quo at the peoples expense.

A group of 50 women leaders from the Democratic Republic of Congo are in Nairobi, Kenya for a week long training workshop in preparation for the up-coming inter-Congolese Dialogue. The purpose of the workshop, which will take place from 15-19 February 2002, at Silver Springs Hotel, Nairobi-Kenya, is to build a common platform and agenda for peace among women from various regions of the DRC, from Kinshasa to the rebel-held Bukavu and Goma provinces.

The African Women's Development and Communications Network (FEMNET) held a Men to Men Consultation on Gender Based Violence in Nairobi from 6-9 Dec 2001. It brought together 27 men from Kenya, Malawi, Namibia and South Africa. These men are members of men only groups that have come together in response to the need for men to come out and break the silence and take action against violence on women and children. Some of these groups have also recognised the need to support men to cope with the changing male roles and responsibilities.

The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Sudanese Victims of Torture Group (SVTG), a member of the OMCT network that a Sudanese appeals court in Sudan's southern Dafur state has overturned the death sentence by stoning of a young pregnant women named Abok Alfa Akok, who was accused of adultery. An appeal has been submitted against the sentence and action is requested in the form of written submission to the Sudanese authorities on behalf of Abok Alfa Akok.

Buganda, the largest of Uganda's four kingdoms, will offer women who remain virgins until marriage television sets, electrical appliances or money as part of an effort to curb the spread of HIV, the Sunday Telegraph/National Post reports. A woman's husband will be responsible for determining her sexual status on their wedding night and reporting it to a panel of sengas -- female mentors -- to be eligible for the reward. "African tradition" is supposed to prevent young men from falsely trying to win incentives, according to Health Minister Robert Sebunya, who added that he is "convinced that our young people are fair-minded and will enter into the spirit of the program." Ugandan women who remained virgins until marriage were traditionally offered a goat as an incentive to avoid sex.

The Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) and the United Nations Women's Development Fund (UNIFEM) will be co-hosting a 3-week email discussion on YOUNG WOMEN AND HIV/AIDS. Moderated on AWID's Young Women and Leadership (YWL) list-serve the discussion will explore the following: intersections between youth, gender and HIV/AIDS, emerging challenges and successes in HIV/AIDS for young people, and the best practices in addressing gender and youth issues in AIDS programs. To subscribe to the YWL list serve please email: [email protected]

The International Women's Health Meetings are based on the recognition of equality as a condition of health and the recognition of the principle of distributive justice for women of the North and the South. The 9th IWHM will allow health activists from around the world to advocate for essential health resources and the rights of women and girls and will focus on the following three themes: sexual and reproductive rights, violence against women (state and family), and environmental health. The Proposal Deadline is March 10, 2002.

The International Development Research Centre, Gender Unit is launching a competitive call for proposals for research investigating links between gender, globalization and land tenure in Latin America, Africa and Asia. All principal researchers and co-researchers must be citizens of developing countries. Up to eight grants will be awarded in April 2002 and the deadline for submission of applications is March 29, 2002.

GenSciTech is a new web ring hosted at the Gender, Science and Technology
Gateway. It is open to sites which address any topic in gender, science and technology with a sustainable development dimension.

The Gender and Political Participation site area provides up-to-date information on the status of women's political participation world-wide,and act as a means of encouraging partnerships and networks between organizations dedicated to enhancing the political participation of women. In addition to International Idea's Handbook Women in Parliament: Beyond Numbers, the gender site also offers information on topics such as the issue of quotas, gender desegregated voter turnout statistics and web links on world-wide gender legislation.

YOWEDI, a forum for the promotion of social justice and the empowerment of women and youths towards a better and greater Nigeria, requests assistance in the areas of capacity building, networking and sponsorship, and asks that NGOs furnish them with further information covering their organization.

Gender and Development, the international journal for development practitioners, policy-makers, researchers and feminist activists is planning the July 2002 issue which will focus on Climate Change.

The NGO Committee on the Status of Women, New York, extends an invitation to the following events during the 46th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (March 4-15, 2002). There is a registration deadline of 22nd February 2002, and advance registration is necessary for all.

The NGO Committee on the Status of Women, New York, extends an invitation to the following events during the 46th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (March 4-15, 2002). There is a registration deadline of 22nd February 2002, and advance registration is necessary for all.

Among the gender dimensions of HIV/AIDS identified, inadequacy of gender sensitive and responsive HIV & AIDS policies and programmes was highlighted. In response, one of the main recommendations was that HIV & AIDS policies and programmes must integrate gender.

The Prize($500 per laureate) honours creative and courageous women and women's groups around the world for their contributions to improving the quality of life in rural communities.

Interview with Irma van Dueren of NOVIB (the Dutch Oxfam). Novib recently
completed an evaluation of its Gender Route Project. This project worked with several of NOVIB's NGO partners to help them improve their work in promoting gender equality.

The Bank's new gender mainstreaming strategy, "Integrating Gender into the World Bank's Work: A Strategy for Action," emphasizes the need to determine priority actions on a country by country basis, with the country taking leadership.

This conference is a platform to support the unity of all African women organizations, women's organizations of churches, and the women of youth organizations, in an international sisterhood. Issues on housing, childcare, education, transportation, and clean drinking water will be at the forefront of the conference.
DATE: Saturday, March 9, 2002, 10am-6pm
VENUE: Howard University Downing Hall Auditorium, 2300 6th St. NW Washington, DC 20059, USA.

One or more research awards will be made by the SOUTH AFRICAN GENDER BASED VIOLENCE AND HEALTH INITIATIATIVE(SAGBVHI) at the First Gender Based Violence and Health Conference, South Africa, 17-19 April 2002. The award is intended to encourage research in specific areas of gender based violence and health. Applicants are invited from researchers based in South Africa.