Browsing by Author "Isike, Efe Mary."

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A critical analysis of social regulatory policy: the case of female genital mutilation legislation in Nigeria.
(2008) Isike, Efe Mary.; Manicom, Desiree Pushpeganday.
The practice of female genital mutilation is a global problem and it is prevalent in Africa. According to the United Nations Children's Education Fund (2005), each year about three million women and girls are subjected to female genital mutilation, predominantly in parts of Africa and a few Asian and Middle East countries. The situation is the same in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, where a large number of women and children have undergone and continue to undergo female genital mutilation. According to a UNICEF study, over 32% of Nigeria's female population has endured female genital mutilation and its attendant negative health and human rights consequences (UNICEF 2003: 2).Though Nigeria does not, at present, have a federal law banning female genital mutilation, the process of introducing one has been set in motion by the House of Representatives (lower house), which passed the HB22 Bill in 2007 (Deen 2008:1), which is still awaiting ratification by the Senate (Upper House) and acceptance by the Executive. However, eight out of the thirty-six states in Nigeria have passed laws prohibiting the practice of female genital mutilation (Jimoh 2005). The broad focus of this study was to explore the implementation of social regulatory policy, using the case of the implementation of female genital mutilation legislation in Nigeria. A policy analysis of social regulatory policy was investigated, with secondary studies on the implementation of female genital mutilation legislation in Nigeria. The broad issues investigated in the study include identifying the main aims and objectives of social regulatory policy; the policy instruments employed in the implementation of social regulatory policy; the implementation process of social regulatory policy; and the challenges and successes experienced by implementors in implementing social regulatory policy. The key issues the study sought to investigate include identifying the aims and objectives of female genital mutilation legislation in Nigeria; the policy instruments employed to implement female genital mutilation legislation; the implementation process of female genital mutilation legislation; and the challenges and successes experienced by implementors in implementing female genital mutilation legislation. The findings of social regulatory policy analysis showed that public participation is critical to the effective implementation of social regulatory policies, as they may encounter implementation difficulties if there is no provision for public participation during policy formulation. This in itself can give the government a better understanding of the socio-cultural issues at stake. These studies also showed that the wrong combination of policy instruments can hinder the effectiveness of social regulatory policy. Out of the varying policy instruments employed for policy implementation, government must choose the right combination of instruments that suits the intended policy outcome, in order to produce different effects. In order for social regulatory policies to be effective, implementers responsible for implementing social regulatory policy need to understand policy goals and be committed to its objectives. Adequate resources, both capital and human, must be invested in employing and training implementing agents. Finally, building and fostering networks and collaboration with civil society are critical to the successful implementation of social regulatory policies. In terms of application to this case study, the present investigation revealed that the implementation of female genital mutilation legislation in Nigeria has been difficult, and crippled with challenges, due to a number of factors that hinder effective policy outcome. These challenges are not unrelated to the fact that democracy is still nascent in Nigeria. First, there was a lack of public participation in the policy formulation process, which had negative consequences for effective implementation. Second, policymakers did not employ suitable policy instruments and this has hindered the implementation of female genital mutilation legislation. Third, a lack of common goal definition between implementing agents and policymakers has led to problems during the implementation of the policy. Other problems which have hindered the effective implementation of the policy include lack of skilled adequate resources, both capital and human, needed for the implementation of the policy. Finally, this study showed that government's failure to involve and collaborate with other actors/stakeholders through building networks with non-governmental organizations negatively affected the policy process. Building networks encourages the exchange of skills and information which can bring about effective policy implementation. The study concludes that these problems are pertinent to social regulatory policies, in general. Public participation in the policy formulation process must be encouraged, through active collaboration with civil society; employing the right policy implementation instruments and building institutional capacity (manpower) and providing adequate funding remain critical to the effective implementation of female genital mutilation legislation, not only in Nigeria, but in other places where such practices are deeply rooted in cultural beliefs. Also, for legislation to be effective, it must comprise the appropriate legal measures (that is, creating proper legal structures and legislation that will constrain and guide the behaviour of targets), regulatory measures (this involves the use of enforcement measures in order to compel the desired behavioural change) and policy measures (which encourages the participation of the targets in the policy process).
Ties that bind : a network analysis of relationships between Nigerian migrants and South Africans in Umhlathuze.
(2015) Isike, Efe Mary.; Ballard, Richard James.
Xenophobia targeted at African immigrants is a recurring problem that has made post-apartheid South Africa notorious around the world. The dramatic and violent nature of this xenophobia which peaked in May 2008 and April 2015 tends to encourage a focus on xenophobia rather than on other aspects of the relationship between African migrants and South Africans which include a broad array of interactions, such as assimilation, cosmopolitanism, hybridity and conviviality. In light of the above, this study aimed to examine and explain the nature of interactions between Nigerian migrants and South Africans in Umhlathuze Municipality by analysing the social network ties that connect them. The key research questions posed included, how do Nigerian migrants living in Umhlathuze characterise their interactions and relationships with South Africans? What relationships do the migrants in the sample identify as their most important relationship with a South African, if any? How did these ‘important’ relationships come about and evolve over time? What does each person in an important relationship between a migrant and a South African gain from the relationship? What kinds of support are offered within these relationships? In what ways do these relationships enable the integration of Nigerian migrants in Umhlathuze? What do migrants who have an important relationship with a South African and the South Africans themselves think about the impact of their particular ethnic identities on their association with one another? And finally, how are these relationships affected by class and gender? To answer these questions, the study adopted a qualitative approach which was appropriate as it accommodates an interpretivist interest in the subjective understandings of ordinary people. This approach also informed the selection of the secondary and primary methods used for data collection and analysis. The primary data was collected through qualitative (semi-structured) interviews with 68 respondents (36 Nigerian migrants and 32 South Africans) selected using stratified random sampling. The Nigerian respondents were randomly drawn from a list provided by the Association of Nigerian Residents in Umhlathuze (ANRU) through a lottery process after they were segmented equally for gender and class using Ndletyana’s (2014) class stratification. These sub-groups were males, females, middle class and working class. The 36 Nigerian respondents (also referred to as egos) were then interviewed and asked to identify one South African each (also referred to as alters) from their networks of friends. Overall, 32 South Africans were identified and interviewed, making a total of 68 respondents as four of the Nigerian immigrants did not have a South African tie. Using social network theory as an analytical framework, the study investigated the everyday realities of migrants in ordinary places who interact with a variety of people through their livelihood activities, marriages and social relationships, in their residential areas, in faith-based organizations and other elements of everyday life. It examined the networks, friendships and communities of practice which draw people into collaborations with one another across the South African-foreigner divide. The main conclusion arising from the findings is that while evidence of hostility abounds in the relations between South Africans and African immigrants, xenophobia is only one dimension, and other dimensions of these relationships include tolerance, acceptance and friendship that are mutually beneficial. The study revealed that the relationships between African migrants and South Africans residing in Umhlathuze range from one extreme of hostility and prejudice to the other of hospitality and conviviality. Between these two extremes lie other modes of interactions which include self-exclusion, exclusion, cultural exchanges and entanglements, cosmopolitanism, and hospitality/conviviality on both sides. In terms of most important relationship with a South African, the majority of the Nigerian respondents had such ties. These include ties with spouses/partners, friends, work colleagues, and clergy, most of which were symmetrical, meaning that they were characterized by reciprocity and mutual recognition of the importance of the relationship. However, the study argues that irrespective of whether or not relationships were symmetrical, migrants gained support which enabled their integration in Umhlathuze. For example, the Nigerian migrants gained tangible and intangible support which was both two-directional and one-directional. In terms of the role of national and cultural identities, some respondents acknowledged that they had social prejudices. These included prejudices held by South Africans against Nigerians, and vice versa. Many said that their prejudices had softened as a result of getting to know people against whom they were once prejudiced. Others said that their relationships were, in many ways, enhanced rather than hindered by cultural diversity. Various kinds of cosmopolitan appreciation of cultural differences helped to foster the integration of migrants and the formation of positive relationships. The study also found that these relationships are influenced in varying degrees by class and gender. Although all the migrants experienced hostility and non-hostility, middle class participants reported less hostility and more interaction with South Africans than the working class group. With respect to gender, the findings show that female migrants experienced less hostility in their various spaces of interaction compared to males. These findings have important implications for broader relationships between migrants and host communities in South Africa. The South African context presents a unique challenge in that apartheid tended to disconnect black South Africans from the rest of Africa and thus created a people who have no sense of historical connectedness with the rest of the continent. However, as a result of sustained interactions brought about by post-apartheid African migration to South Africa, different groups are interacting in various ways which can be used to foster the integration of African immigrants. These interactions go beyond ethnic/national differences as can be seen in cases of black South Africans that choose to protect African immigrants from xenophobic attacks and march against xenophobia. They are a function of network ties developed through sustained interaction with one another and a set of processes which are the core interest of this dissertation.