Domestic Violence 11
Apr 27th, 2011 by admin
Still, on domestic violence. The well being of any society includes respecting the rights of women. In Nigeria, the empowerment of women is still hampered by economic, social and cultural barriers. These barriers have eaten deep into the very fabric of the society and like cancer must be cut at the root. These factors make it near impossible for certain attitudes towards domestic violence to be properly addressed. While it may be difficult to understand why it is still so today, one major problem is the cultural barrier that allows a man to get away with almost anything. It enables a man to do whatever he wants to his wife because he is master of his home. Besides, a culture that allows a man to get away with just about anything is wrong. Women are beaten, raped and harassed daily. The figures are on the rise. I recently read again, in the Punch Newspapers. April 19, the story of a woman who had acid poured on her by her husband. Her husband asked her to sell off her landed property and use the proceeds to facilitate his trip to Malaysia. She refused. Though separated at the time of the incident, he had visited his wife on the said day bringing a polythene bag into her apartment. He told his wife it contained their baby’s food. When the lady saw the bag, she was suspicious and fled. He ran after her and poured the content in the polythene bag on her through the window. In court, his lawyer argued that the matter was a domestic accident. Ordinarily, you would expect the lawyer to maybe plead insanity but the simple reason that her husband is master of his home allows even the effect of hot ash on another human being to be seen as a domestic matter. In any case I wonder if she would have made a report, if it had not affected her physically With domestic violence suddenly assuming an alarming proportion, It’s time women understood when a line is been crossed at home and communicate happenings to appropriate organizations. Oftentimes, it is the fear that nothing much can be done to curb the situation by external forces. The fear of stigmatization, divorce and rejection by family members. But, if truth be told, Ignorance is no excuse. To suffer silently because one is not aware of legal rights available is unfortunate. Besides, the torture and intimidation these women experience is terrible and a reorientation is needed to educate the society on the effects of this behavior. The fact that it is condoned is totally unacceptable. Now, is the time to make right the situation. On the other hand, women in Nigeria need to be realistic and learn to use the appropriate quarters put in place to tackle this issue. Violence, irrespective of whether it is emotional or physical is ugly.