Violence against women: Why it has to stop

Violence against women has become one of the biggest problems for the family structure and the society at large and as mothers our souls only know love, therefore there has to be an enormous amount of soul loss in the person who violates women. As mothers women and girls need all the support and love […]

Violence against women has become one of the biggest problems for the family structure and the society at large and as mothers our souls only know love, therefore there has to be an enormous amount of soul loss in the person who violates women.
As mothers women and girls need all the support and love they can get from the society. The impact of violence ranges from low self esteem to long term physical and mental consequences. The rising violence against women in the country prevents women from fully participating in the development of the society.
Violence not only has negative consequences for women but also their families, the community and the country at large. It has tremendous costs, from greater health care and legal expenses, broken homes and many other negative vices. Violence against women is rooted in discrimination and inequality, making it challenging to address.
Decades of mobilizing by civil society and women’s movements have put ending gender-based violence high on national and international agendas but with little or no law implementation fully enforced. Not enough is done to prevent violence, and when it does occur, it often goes unpunished. In Africa and Nigeria in particular such phrases like ‘it is a man’s world’ immediately weakens the system which has given men unlimited power over women. The recent security challenges cannot be cut away from the rising violence against women. On the other hand women are needed to solve the issues facing the country now.
The economy is one of the factors along with many others. This issue demands immediate attention so that we can bring it under control. No woman should have to suffer abuse due to societal problems or issues. I can’t stress the importance of this enough. As mothers who want a better society for our children we are calling on all stakeholders in the society to urge the Federal government to pass effective laws that will bar violence against women.
There is hardly any serious effort made to make kids really understand and respect each other irrespective of gender. Education is the solution to change the perspective in which a male child views a girl. Atrocities towards women are basically the result of illiteracy, so we are inviting women and men who feel the violence has to stop speak up and demand an end to violence against women.
Ramatu Adenike Alhassan wrote in from Kaduna