Osun Women Move To End Gender Based Violence

…Demand Equal Participation In National Development

By LOVETH AZODO, Lagos

A group of concerned Women in Osun State, South West Nigeria have called for an end to violence against women and girls.

This is just as the group seek equal and full participation in the decision making of Nigeria’s political and socio-economic developments as a way of engendering gender-neutral principle and contributing their quota to the progress of the Nigeria’s state.

Osun State women made the call during a one-day Social Development Forum, organized by the Justice, Development and Peace Makers’ Centre of Osogbo with the theme “Violence against Women and Girls” held at JDPMC Office Complex’s Hall, Bishop’s House Oke-Ayepe, Osogbo.

According to a statement by the organizers, the representatives who spoke on behalf of Osun State women were: from Federation of Muslim Women Association in Nigeria, Alhja Amudat Agboola, Mrs.Osundare Chairperson of the Catholic Women Organization (CWO) and Barrister Oluwadamilola Olabiyi from the International Federation of Female Lawyers Association (FIDA), Osogbo Chapter.

The representatives described Nigerian Women as one of the engine rooms of the nation building and useful-national weapon to fast-track unity and progress of whom their pivotal roles in the National development should not be underestimated.

They noted that despite these enormous potentials possessed by the Nigerian women which are capable of turning the fortunes of the nation around and better, still, the society has not come to the full understanding and cognisance of their existence. In their conclusion, it was posited that,

“It is still laughable that Nigerians have not come into true knowledge of the fact that Nigerian Women have huge quotas to contribute in the indivisible entity called Nigeria so as to make it be in the proper perspective politically, economically and socially. The earlier we realize the better for us all and this why we are calling on the well-meaning Nigerians, Political Actors, Opinion Moulders, Crusaders of Justice and among others to rise to this ugly occasion in order for the fairness and equality to reign supreme in the Nigeria’s Power equation,”
Addressing the topical issue, the Guest Speaker on the occasion, Barr.Akintajuwa Oluwayemisi expressed a strong concern on the level of violence against the Nigerian Women and Girls ranging from physical assault, rape, emotional abuse, child abuse and other manners of violence against their personality. She stated that,

“My heart bleeds whenever I read any report on rape or assault against women; it has become a bad culture which is claiming to stay and our society refuses to put a lasting solution to it. It is time we considered psychological torture and effect of these social disorders it does to the psyche of the victims. It is my personal and strong convictions that no woman was created by mistake and of course you will all agree with me that our co-existence is symbolic in intent and purpose by God thus, I will urge men, fathers, and boys to respect and give women and female children the best treatment and fair portion in the Nigeria’s contextual heritages”.

The guest speaker therefore used the medium to charge women across the states to break the culture of silence and take their proper position in the educational, political, cultural and socio-economic space more importantly. They should stop fighting one another but rather stand by themselves in any laudable cause of best national interest.

Also speaking, Mr. Rufus Adebayo of the National Orientation Agency stressed the need for Nigerians to imbibe the cultural and/or moral values such as respect for one another, humility, honesty, kindness, patriotism and fear of God in all endeavours. He further added that, it would be of great help for the country if Nigerians could re-engineer and imbibe all these aesthetic values and uphold it firmly.

In his remark, Rev. Fr. Peter Akinkunmi, the General Coordinator of the Justice, Development and Peace Makers’ Centre of Osogbo represented by Barrister Onoja Veronica stated that violence against women and girls was a neurotic malady that concerted efforts must gear towards its prevention as it does not only count against the productivity of the nation in terms of Gross Domestic Products, but also reduce her to nothing and immaterial even among the comity of nations. He concluded by calling for more collaborative supports from everyone in order to put an end to the social imbalance.