THE BARBARISM OF VIRGINITY TEST
The test is reprehensible and a violation of the rights of young girls
The virginity test conducted on 16 female students of Government Comprehensive High School, Taabaa, in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, was the most primitive act to have come out of any part of Nigeria in recent memory. It is even more unconscionable that the test was conducted under the guise of offering some form of financial assistance before allegedly selecting the students for the testing. “No individual, traditional institution, community body or private organisation has the authority to subject students to virginity testing or any other form of abuse,” the Rivers State Education Ministry stated while revealing the sordid act. “Educational assistance, including scholarships and exercise books, must be provided transparently and without conditions that compromise the safety, dignity or rights of beneficiaries.”
We condemn this gross violation of the rights of those children as guaranteed under the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter of Human and People’s Rights. Not only is the scandal actionable in law but it also raises certain pertinent questions. Who says that virgins are the only good persons in character and up-bringing? In any case, should an offer of free books and scholarship be a license to subject female students to a virginity test? Why should charity be tied to such a barbaric precondition? For certain, Government Comprehensive High School, Taabaa is not a Convent. Even these days, would-be-nuns are not subjected to such a disgraceful test.
We feel particularly concerned because the incident reechoes what happened a decade ago in Ogun State when a school principal and a “nurse” of doubtful professional integrity, jointly carried out virginity tests on a group of 10 students. That incident was also instigated by some do-gooders who wanted to ascertain that the girls being gifted with some exercise books were virgins. We therefore consider the frequency of such ‘test’ as a manifestation of the violence against the female gender in Nigeria reinforced by the patriarchal interpretations of the two dominant religions in the country.
We commend the Rivers State education authorities for their proactive stance and for warning traditional institutions, community bodies and other individuals against selecting, examining or testing female students for virginity, either directly or indirectly. Even at that, the affected students still reserve the right to press for further charges in a civil court. It is also notable that authorities in the state have further directed schools to protect students from degrading, coercive or invasive practices, including those carried out under the guise of cultural traditions, scholarship programmes, disciplinary measures or community development initiatives.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), alongside UN Human Rights and UN Women, have repeatedly called for the global elimination of virginity testing. No medical examination can reliably prove whether a woman or girl has had vaginal intercourse, according to WHO which states that virginity testing (including hymen inspection or the “two-finger” test) has no scientific basis or clinical indication. Besides, the practice violates the human rights of women and girls, breaches medical ethics, and goes against the core medical principle of “do no harm”. Tested individuals often experience immediate and long-term consequences, including physical pain, anxiety, depression, re-traumatisation (especially for rape survivors), and social stigmatisation.
In condemning virginity tests we are not in any way encouraging sexual promiscuity in our schools. What we condemn is the reprehensible and gross violation of the rights of our young girls. Virginity test is discriminatory and worse, the latest was conducted under the guise of offering them assistance. It is a practice not in consonance with 21st century world and therefore absolutely unacceptable. We therefore urge the Rivers State government to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.