By Ngozi Anosike
Access to information does not only improve the socio-economic status of women but also allows them to contribute effectively to the economy.
Against this backdrop, Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has called on Federal and State Governments to address various challenges in the information ecosystem, which impede access to information and the full enjoyment of the right to information by women in Nigeria.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Programme Officer, Ayomide Eweje, in commemoration of this year’s International Women’s Day Celebration.
Arguing that no meaningful progress can be achieved for Nigerian women while the gates to public information remain locked against them by bureaucratic secrecy and other barriers, MRA maintained that access to information is not just a legal right but serves as a critical tool for survival, empowerment and equality for women.
It opined that access to information also allows women to leverage tools for entrepreneurship, financial growth, networking,and securing credit for small businesses, while bridging the gap for rural women who are often excluded from economic opportunities due to a lack of infrastructure, access to knowledge and other challenges.
On health issues, the organisation noted that information is essential for women to make informed decisions about their bodies and health adding that access to information educates women on modern family planning methods, helps prevent unsafe abortions, sexually transmitted infections and reduce maternal mortality.
It also explained that access to information allows women to contribute to debates on socio-economic developments, demand accountability for the provision of public services, make informed choices during elections; and participate in all other aspects of governance.
Hinting that information enables survivors of abuses to know and understand how to report crimes, access post-rape care, and obtain legal aid, it stated that digital literacy and information about digital rights are necessary to protect women from technology-facilitated violence, such as cyberbullying and deepfakes, particularly as the digital space, is becoming increasingly hostile for women.
“From technology-facilitated gender-based violence to the coordinated mobbing of female journalists and civil society activists online and in other digital spaces, the digital world is increasingly being weaponized to silence female voices, creating a chilling effect as many women withdraw from online discourse, further limiting their access to vital information and their ability to hold governments accountable”, the statement read in parts. The statement further asked the Government as well as security and law enforcement agencies to protect the “digital frontline” by ensuring the prosecution of those who use digital tools to harass and silence women, while the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015, as amended, should also be used for protection rather than the suppression of dissent.
