When you hear domestic violence, what comes to mind; spouse hitting the other usually in anger and most times inflicting injuries which may lead to death just as the case of the Ronke Shonde, a banker and mother of two, who was beaten to death by her husband, Lekan Shonde, in Egbeda, Lagos.
While a lot of domestic violence issues have gone unreported or underreported, this act which has become almost a norm in our society needs a redress. The most common acts of violence against women include sexual harassment, physical assault, harmful traditional practices, emotional and psychological socio-economic violence and violence against non-combatant women in conflict situation.
A lot of women who have become victims of this menace are rather struck because of their inability to fend for themselves, hence they chose to bear it all in silence. No woman deserves to be treated like a punching bag by a man who should be protecting and caring for her. This act on the long run can affect the children in the home which in turn take out the lifestyle they are used to on other people.
When we have genuine respect for the other, then we are one step to curbing violence, even as we are not oblivious of the fact that men too suffer violence.
A study recently commissioned by the ministry of women’s affairs and social development and the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA) Nigeria found out that 28 per cent of Nigerian women aged 25 to 29 have experienced some form of physical violence since age 15. It also reports that 15 per cent of women experienced physical violence within 12 months as the level of exposure to the risk of violence varied based on marital status, and 44 per cent of divorced, separated or widowed women reported experiencing violence since age 15, while 25 per cent of married women or those living with their spouses have experienced violence.
One of those who are championing the cause of women and ensuring that victims gets justice is the founding director of Women Advocates Research and Documentation Center (WARDC), Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi. She has handled thousands of gender based violence cases which seem to still be on the rise, she therefore seeks that the Federal Government create more institutions that can address the root causes of gender-based violence, the impunity that often goes with the scourge, implement policies and enact laws, for a stronger national response that can support victims and survivors of violence.
The 16 days of activism against Gender Based Violence (GBV) kick -started a few days ago. It is an annual international campaign that kicks off on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until December 10, Human Rights Day. Theme of the 2019 campaign is “Orange the World: Generation Equality Stands against Rape!”
While we join the rest of the world to observe this campaign, it is pertinent to note that we stand against all forms of violence against women children and men too.
In recent years, the voices of survivors and activists have put the spotlight on the issue of sexual violence and have reached a level that cannot be silenced or ignored anymore.
The campaign was started by activists at the inaugural Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991 and continues to be coordinated each year by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership. It is used as an organising strategy by individuals and organisations around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.
For Afolabi-Akiyode, the 16 Days of Activism GBV is also a time to remember victims and survivors of GBV and further re-evaluate the effectiveness of interventions currently in place to address the problem, even as she notes that GBV is hindering national productivity as it is occurring amongst people in the productive age group who are having to deal with the negative physical and psychological consequences of the vice.
While we frown against this barbaric act that has gradually eaten deep into our system, we look out for a society free of abuse.
