‎The persistent objectification of women is one of the most subtle yet destructive forms of gender-based oppression in Nigeria and across the world. Objectification reduces women from complete human beings with dignity, intellect, and agency into mere instruments of desire, possession, or service.

‎Unfortunately, tradition and religion; two of the most powerful forces shaping societal behavior, have often been misused to sustain and justify this injustice.

‎From childhood, many Nigerian girls are taught that their ultimate worth lies in their ability to marry, bear children, and keep a home.

‎Traditions in several communities still relegate women to property-like roles, inherited as chattels in widowhood practices or forced into early marriages without their informed consent.

‎Religious interpretations, in turn, have sometimes been wielded to buttress these practices. Certain clerics preach submission without emphasizing reciprocity, painting women as eternally dependent, passive, and voiceless.

‎This is not religion in its pure form, rather, it is the manipulation of sacred texts to uphold patriarchal control.

‎As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has rightly said: “Culture does not make people. People make culture. If it is true that the full humanity of women is not our culture, then we can and must make it our culture.”

‎Objectification destroys the very foundation of women’s empowerment. It limits access to education, political participation, and economic independence. It fosters violence, as women are seen not as equals but as possessions to be controlled. It silences women’s voices, weakening democracy itself.

‎The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), to which Nigeria is a party, calls on states to “modify social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women” to eliminate prejudices and stereotyped roles (Article 5). Similarly, Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) guarantees freedom from discrimination based on sex.

‎Moreover, the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015 (VAPP Act) criminalizes harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation and forced marriage. Yet, the implementation gap remains wide, and objectification thrives in that gap.

‎To break free from this cycle, several steps must be taken:

‎Reinterpretation of Religion and Tradition: Faith leaders and traditional rulers must embrace progressive readings of scripture and culture that affirm women’s dignity. Religion, at its core, should liberate, not subjugate.

‎Education and Awareness: Schools must deliberately teach gender equality and challenge stereotypes from the earliest levels.

‎As Adichie argues in We Should All Be Feminists, boys and girls must be raised differently, with fairness and balance, so they can grow into adults who respect one another.

‎Strengthened Legal Enforcement: Laws like the VAPP Act and the Child Rights Act must not only exist on paper but be vigorously enforced. Police, courts, and community leaders must resist the temptation to trivialize women’s complaints in the name of “tradition.”

‎Media Representation: The Nigerian media must shift from portraying women as mere decorative accessories to amplifying their voices in politics, science, and leadership.

‎Male Allyship: Men must consciously use their privilege to dismantle patriarchal norms. True feminism is not a women’s struggle alone, it is a human struggle for dignity and justice.

‎The objectification of women, whether through tradition or distorted religious practice, remains a grave violation of human rights.

‎It is incompatible with Nigeria’s constitutional guarantees, international obligations, and our collective aspiration for a just society. We must refuse to normalize a culture that reduces women to objects.

‎As a civil rights advocate and Ally for women’s rights, I maintain that dismantling harmful traditions and discriminatory interpretations of religion is not rebellion against culture or faith; it is the very fulfillment of their highest ideals; justice, equality, and human dignity.

‎Until Nigeria learns to see women not as possessions but as partners, our progress as a nation will remain stunted.

‎Okoye, Chuka Peter is a Civil Rights Advocate

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