Why Should People Have To Suffer For Exercising Their Human Rights?

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We all have fundamental human rights and we should be able to exercise our rights without issues. However, it doesn't always go well with most people in my country. Both the government and other people usually trample on people's human rights in some cases. It's just not justified when speaking up/expressing oneself tends to be a crime. I remember my primary school days, we were thought about different types of human rights which includes; the right to life, the right to a fair hearing, the right to freedom of speech/expression, the right to vote and be voted for, the right to own a property, right to religion and so on. All these are the rights that people enjoy or should enjoy as citizens.

I have a case of a young girl whose right was trampled on by her madam. Some years back before I gained admission to the university, I was living with my uncle in Enugu state Nigeria. Our residence is a block of flats, occupied by so many people. It's like all these public yards in the city, so whatever happens within the building, the info spreads so quickly. This young girl in question is an orphan, she was 12 years old when her madam picked her up from the village to assist her, and give her a good life according to what we heard. The woman and the girl were not in any way related by blood but because she needed someone to take care of her children while she focus on her job, she brought the girl to the city. According to her, she approached the girl's uncle and the uncle accepted her request.

On my own, I was observing the girl throughout my stay over there and from what I saw, the girl is hardworking. The way she takes care of her madam children was just amazing. She does all house chores with happiness. As little as she was, she could fetch 2 drums🛢️ of water from downstairs to the upstairs where their apartment was. She also goes to the market for her madam to buy some foodstuffs, she does so many things that made me admire her a lot. In all of these, her madam was treating her very badly. She hits her on every single mistake even minor ones she should overlook. Whenever I hear the cry of that Young girl, I usually feel bad. The madam enrolled her in a public school with free Education, so she spend only on her transport fare to the school. When it comes to feeding, it's very poor according to the girl, the madam will give her just a little food without meat while her children feed well. When she started seeing her monthly period as a growing-up girl child, the madam went and cut pieces of cloth and gave it as an improvise to sanitary pad. She could use it and wash and reuse it again. At a time, the beating, and other maltreatment became so much but she lack words to express herself. Then when she was 15 years, I was already in the university then, I came to that same house to spend the weekend with my uncle and observed a scene.

What happened?

As the young girl was growing up, she was also getting some mental maturity. She felt to speak up, she felt the urge to Express herself towards thill-treatment from her madam but fear couldn't allow her. Then she went to talk to one elderly woman about it and the woman advised her to talk to her madam politely in her good mood. She did, expecting a positive change but the outcome was bad. Her madam nearly beat her into a coma for speaking up, not only that, she stopped her from going to school as a punishment for expressing herself. Some of us gathered to rescue the girl while she was beating her up but no one could help in tracing her village and her uncle. Her madam on the other hand is a difficult human being who listens to nobody.

I felt for the young lady during my stay over there. She was supposed to exercise her right to speech without issues but got her schooling denied for speaking up. My uncle relocated to another apartment so I didn't get further info about the Young girl.

In conclusion, what goes around turns around! In whatever position you find yourself, do not use it to make life unbearable to those around you. No one knows tomorrow, your children might be in a situation that requires help, what if they got treated the same way you treated others in the past, would that be fine with you? Do not be that woman who trampled on the young girl's right for speaking up.

This post is in response to the #hivelearners community contest on the topic titled ABSENCE OF RIGHT