Overview
- Lesson Title: New Laws Protecting Women-This is from a December 2013 radio interview about women's rights in Nigeria. WinXP users should install Arial Unicode font.
- Language: Hausa
- Topic: Culture/Society
- ILR Level: 2+/3
- ACTFL Proficiency: Superior, Advanced-High; This ACTFL rating is an approximation based on the ILR level
- Modality: Listening
- Learning Objective: Maintenance & Improvement
- Subject Area: Language
- Material Type: LLO
- Publication Year: 2015
- ObjectID: c14lhau08
Transcript
| Original | Translation |
|---|---|
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IBRAHIM BASHIR IDRIS: A makon da ya gabata ne majalisa jihar Katsina dake tarayyar Nijeriya ta amince da wasu dokokin da ake ganin zasu kare hakkokin mata da ƙananan yara. Lura da yadda ake ci gaba da cin zarafinsu, da kuma lalata musu rayuwa baki ɗaya ta hanyar fade, da kuma cin zarafi wanda suka kunshi hukunce hukunce dabam dabam cikin su har da ɗaurin rai da rai. Wannan mataki dai, ya ɗauke hankalin 'yan Nijeriya da dama. Lura da yadda matsalar ta ta’asara. Yau, zamu maida hankali kan waɗannan dokoki da kuma tasirin da za su yi a wannan jihar, watakila ma da kasa baki daya. Gloria, kina ɗaya da ga cikin kungiyoyin da suke kare hakin mata a Najeriya. Yaya kika ji da wannan? GLORIA THOMAS: Wannan dokan ya dace saboda ya dace da mata suna shan iri wannan wahala. Namiji zai taso kawai, yana ga saboda shi namiji ne, yana da ƙarfi, yana da iko, yana da kuma hukuma ma a bayansa. Zai yi abinda ya ga dama da na mace ya sauka lafiya. Amma yanzu da majalisannan sun taso sun ce, wanda dai ya gwada, har an kama, to, rai da rai, wannan ya dace. Don mata ya kamata, a kiyayesu ne, a dubasu ne. Ba wai a yi lalata da su ba. In ba matan ko matanka ne baka da iko fa balle ma a ce ka gan mace kowai, sai ka ga kaman ya zama maka kawai to, ga fili ga doki, a’a bai kamata ba. Kuma ka san cewa, ya dade, yara ma, suna shan wannan wahalan. Yara ƙanana, shekara tara, shekara ukku, shekara biyu. Haba! In ka kai kuma wurin hukuma, 'yan sanda, sai su ce maka, a’a, ba haka ba ne. ko kuma ai ita ta so, ai ita ta nemo irin rigan da ta sa ne, kaza da kaza, a bar shi ya tafi abin shi. Abun yana ta ƙaruwa kawai. In ka tuna ma fa, shi, shugaban 'yan sanda na Plateau State, shi ma ya yi kuka. Ya ce fa, irin wannan halin, ya fara yawa kuma ya kamata a yi wani abu a kai. To yanzu da su a Katsina, sun taso, sun fara, wallahi na yi murna. IBRAHIM BASHIR IDRIS: Kina gan dokan za ta yi aiki? GLORIA THOMAS: Ah, za ta yi aiki. Za ta yi aiki, ba wai za mu gan aikin zai zama ɗari bisa ɗari ba. Domin akwai kunya in ya faru da wa’yansu mata akwai kunyan fita a ce ga abinda ya faru. In ya faru a yara ne ma, iyayen sukan ji kunya su fita su ce: ga abinda ya faru. Sai dai a rufe a zauna da shi a gida. To rufewan nan ko da mutum ɗaya ne fa, in ta fito ta ce to ga wanda ya yi, an tabatar ya yi, ka san, in aka kama dole za’a yi bincika. In aka kama in ta ce dai ga wanda ya yi, to mun san cewa a Katsina dai in aka ce kai ne ka yi, akwai doka a ƙasa, da za’a san yanda za’a yi a hukuntaka da shi. In daya ta fito ko biyu ko ukku, an ci nasara ma kenan. Kuma da zaran mutane sun ga ɗaya ta yi, an cire kunya an yar a gefe kenan. An yi ɗaya, an ga cewa, an kai kotu, an hukuntar da shi, an bayar da rai da rai kai ma ka san, in ya gwada, in wani ya gwada da wata, ita ma za ta fito. To, da kaɗan, da kaɗan, da kaɗan ɗin nan z’a a samu sauƙinshi. Kuma ka san har ila yau, ba wai an fara jiya ne, an samu wannan dokan ba, a’a ya daɗe. Ya dade, ana ta roƙa. Akwai ma dokokin da aka rubuta saboda yara. Ka san wa’yansu majalisun ma, har yanzu, ba su amince da shi ba. To amma da wa’yannan daga Katsina sun taso, su har ma sun ketare ma fa akan wannan doka na yara da aka kafa ɗin. Su, sun ma kure wannan ma ga baki ɗaya da wannan dokan. To, ka san sauran jihohi da suna kusa da su har ma da nisa da su ma su ma zasu ga cewa, e fa, ya kamata mu yi wani abu akai za’a ci nasaranshi. |
IBRAHIM BASHIR IDRIS: It was last week that the Katsina State House of Assembly in the Federal Republic of Nigeria passed some laws that they think will protect women’s rights and children. Seeing the way they are being abused, and their lives ruined with rape and other forms of abuse, there are different sentences, one of which is life in prison. This decision has caught the attention of most Nigerians. Consider how the problem has escalated. Today, we will focus in on these laws and their effect on this state and perhaps on the nation at large. Gloria, you belong to one of the organizations that works to protect the rights of women in Nigeria. What do you think of this? GLORIA THOMAS: This law is appropriate because women have been experiencing this type of suffering for a long time. A man will rise up just like that because he thinks that since he’s a man, he is strong, he has power, and he also has the authorities protecting him. He will do what he deems right with any woman, and he will get away with it. But now this parliament has stepped up and said whoever tries such a thing and is caught, well, life for life. It is very appropriate because women ought to be protected, watched over, and not have their lives ruined. If she’s not your wife, even your wife, you don’t have the right to abuse her, not to mention seeing a strange woman and thinking it is an opportunity for abuse. No, it is not supposed to be that way. And, you know, this has been going on for a long time and now even children are suffering. Children, age nine, age three, age two. Why? If you go to an authority figure, say a police officer, he will say to you, no, it is not like that, or she is the one to blame, or she is the one who bought that kind of dress, this and that, and it leaves the man to get off scot-free. It is just getting worse. If you remember, the commissioner of police in Plateau State, he himself even spoke out. He said, “This type of behavior is getting out of hand, and something should be done about it.” And now that those in Katsina have stepped up and stated their position, we are sincerely very happy. IBRAHIM BASHIR IDRIS: Do you think the law will be effective? GLORIA THOMAS: Yes, it will be effective. It will be effective, though, we will not see 100 percent effectiveness because it is embarrassing. To some women it is an embarrassment to come out to say, “See what has happened.” Even if it happens to children, it is usually embarrassing for the family to come forward and say, “See what has happened.” They would rather conceal it, and keep it at home. Well, this concealment—even if just one person speaks up and names a perpetrator, and it is confirmed that he did it, and he is caught, they must investigate. If he is caught, and she says he is the one that actually did it, well, we know that in Katsina if it is said that you are the one who did it, there is a law in place that allows them to put you on trial. If one person speaks up, or two, or three, we would have succeeded. And once people see that one person has come forward, they will stop being embarrassed. If one [act of abuse or violence] is committed, and they see that it was taken to court, he was tried, and he was given life, you know yourself, if he attempts, if he attempts something with a woman, she, too, will come forward. And little by little we will find it easier [to come forward]. And you know as well, it was not just yesterday that we wanted this law. No, it has been a long time. We have been requesting this law for a long time. There are even laws that were written for children. You know most of the parliamentarians still do not agree with it. Well, but since these people from Katsina have stepped up—they even exceeded [our expectations] by establishing laws for children as well. They even went completely beyond this with this law. And you know that other states that are close by and even those further away, they, too, will see that, actually, we ought to do something about this. And we will succeed at it. |
Glossary
| Hausa | English Meaning |
|---|---|
|
hakkokin mata |
women's rights |
| cin zarafinsu | (lit: eating their opportunity) being abused |
| lalata | ruined |
| ɗaurin rai da rai | (lit: tying of life to life) life in prison |
| ta’asara | escalated
This word can also be spelled ta’azara. |
| tasirin | effect |
| shan iri wannan wahala | (lit: drinking this type of trouble) experiencing this type of suffering |
| hukuma ma a bayansa | (lit: authority behind him) authorities protecting him |
| ya sauka lafiya | (lit: he descends safely) he will get away with it |
| kunya | embarrassment |
| an cire kunya an yar a gefe kenan | (lit: they have removed shame and have thrown it on the side) they will stop being embarrassed |
Notes
The Notes provide cultural and linguistic information helpful for comprehending the text.
Violence Against Women in Nigeria
Between 33 and 67 percent of women in Nigeria are thought to have been victims of some form of domestic abuse (Amnesty International 2005). Cultural, religious, and legal acceptance of the practice contributes to the problem. A culture of privacy and the idea of a woman's subservience to her husband and to men in general allow violent incidents to be considered a normal and acceptable part of domestic life in Nigeria. The legal system has also codified discrimination against women by allowing men to use violence and making it difficult for women to press charges in the case of a rape or assault ("Women Group Sues" 2014).
Amnesty International. 2005. "Nigeria—Unheard Voices Violence Against Women in the Family." Accessed January 8, 2014. http://www.refworld.org/docid/439463b24.html.
"Women Group Sues FG Over Discriminatory Provisions of Criminal and Penal Code." November 7, 2014. Premium Times . Accessed January 8, 2014. http://www.premiumtimesng.com/tag/women-empowerment-and-legal-aid-initiative.
Dictionaries
Awde, Nicholas. 1996. Hausa–English, English–Hausa Dictionary . New York: Hippocrene Books.
This bilingual dictionary includes terminology relevant to users with interests in computing, information technology, business, and telecommunications. It includes over eighteen thousand entries.
Newman, Paul. 2007. A Hausa–English Dictionary , Yale Language Series. New Haven: Yale University Press.
This Hausa to English dictionary includes appendices on grammar and calendar terminology.
Newman, Roxana Ma. 1990. An English–Hausa Dictionary , Yale Language Series. New Haven: Yale University Press.
This English to Hausa dictionary includes appendices on grammar, pronunciation, and currency systems.
On-Line Bargery. n.d. A Hausa–English dictionary and English–Hausa vocabulary. Accessed October 14, 2014. http://maguzawa.dyndns.ws/.
This online resource features approximately forty thousand Hausa to English entries.
Additional Information
For more information about violence against women in Nigeria, read "Eliminating Violence Against Women in Nigeria: Yes, We Can!" by Ife Bamidele, published by the Safeworld International Foundation, and available at the following URL:
For more information about challenges facing a women's advocacy group in Nigeria, read "Rashing kudi ne Babbar matsalar FOMWAN – Barista Hannatu" (Barrister Hannatu: FOMWAN's biggest challenge is the lack of funding), by John Wada, published by the Daily Trust , and available at the following URL:
Comprehension Check
Comprehension Check Activity 1: Multiple Choice
It can be inferred that the new laws will apply to women and children throughout Nigeria.
[ ] True
[ X ] False
Feedback: Correct. The statement is false. The host, Ibrahim Bashir Idris, specifies that the new laws were passed by only one state, Katsina State. Therefore, it can be inferred that the new laws will only apply to those living in Katsina State and not Nigerian citizens living in other states.
Comprehension Check Activity 2: Multiple Choice
In this interview, what is named as the catalyst for the new laws?
[ ] A high-profile case receiving international attention
[ ] A foreign investor withdrawing support amid incidences
[ X ] The number of violent incidents increasing
[ ] The social standards of young people changing
[ ] A women's rights group making legislative demands
Feedback: Correct. Both speakers mention the increase of violence against women and children as the reason for the new laws. The guest on the radio show, Gloria Thomas, mentions a state police commissioner who acknowledged that the problem is getting out of control. It can be inferred from the interview that social norms are part of the problem, not something that inspired these new laws. Thomas mentions that women's groups have been working for change for a long time, and she does not say any recent demands sparked the new laws.
Comprehension Check Activity 3: Constructed Response
According to Thomas, how are authorities complicit in perpetrating an abusive culture toward women and children?
Model Response: Thomas says that, in general, authorities dispute victims' claims or place the blame on victims, protecting the male attackers and letting them get away with their crimes. According to Thomas, this has perpetuated a culture in which men think they can do whatever they want, and women and children are left unprotected.
Comprehension Check Activity 4: Constructed Response
What is cited by Thomas as the primary obstacle of the efficacy of the new laws?
Model Response: Thomas says victims' reluctance to come forward will prevent the laws from being 100 percent effective. Thomas says that women and families are often embarrassed to come out publicly with their stories of abuse and violence.
Comprehension Check Activity 5: Multiple Choice
Which of the following best describes how Thomas thinks success will ultimately be achieved?
[ ] The possibility of a life sentence will be a major deterrent for men.
[ ] Media coverage of a high-profile case will spur more prosecutions.
[ X ] More victims will be motivated to report crimes after seeing successful cases.
[ ] Prosecutors will promote successful cases to show the public that the new laws work.
Feedback: Correct. Thomas asserts that even if only a few victims come forward initially, that will indicate success because she predicts that when people see one person bring a successful case that results in a trial and a sentence, others will find it easier and less embarrassing to come forward, and more charges, trials, and sentences will follow.
Comprehension Check Activity 6: Select All that Apply
Which of the following are mentioned by Thomas as ways in which Katsina State is leading the effort to stop the violent crimes?
[ ] The Katsina police commissioner was the first authority figure to speak out publicly.
[ X ] Katsina State was the first to pass such laws concerning violence against women.
[ X ] The legislation passed in Katsina State included laws to protect children.
[ ] Katsina State has already prosecuted someone under the new laws.
[ X ] Katsina State will serve as an example to other states.
Feedback: Correct. Thomas says she is very happy that the legislators in Katsina State took a stand against violence against women by passing the new laws. She further praises them for exceeding expectations by extending the new laws to apply to violence against children as well. She is also optimistic that the laws passed in Katsina State will serve as an example for other states. The police commissioner she mentions was from Plateau State, not Katsina State. Thomas does not say a case has already been prosecuted.