As the world marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, religious and political leaders have been urged to raise their voices and take concrete actions to stop the growing menace of gender-based violence in Nigeria
The Country Director, Global Peace Foundation Nigeria, Rev. John Joseph Hayab, in a message to mark the day, noted that the COVID-19 lockdown period was a time of double tragedy for women.
He explained that many women entered into another serious challenge of violence at home in obedience to lockdown instructions by the government and the Health experts.
He added, “We at the Global Peace Foundation Nigeria preach that we are one family under God. This esteemed human family has men, women, and children. Injustice to anyone of them is Injustice to the family.”
“God created us all and had endowed every one of us with special abilities and roles so that we can contribute to building our homes, society, and the nation at large.
We, therefore, must not mistreat anyone because of his or her gender. People who are mistreated or with violence find it difficult to effectively influence their society because they will always live in fear and feeling of inferiority,” the statement explained.
The Foundation appealed to husbands and men, in general, to always treat their wives and women as Queens so that they would joyfully bring out their God-given potentials for the development of the home and the society at large.
Rev. Hayab noted that children always learn how to live from home, adding that adolescent male children must be taught and shown good examples of respect, tolerance, support, and the need to celebrate their female age mates.
He noted that if the adolescent boys grow appreciating the girls, they will not be violent to any woman in the future.
He stated that those who rape children and women should not be treated with kids’ gloves, stressing that the laws should be strengthened for victims to get justice and perpetrators to be seen as punishing.
