Writer Harps On Women Safety

A renowned writer,
Naomi Sharang, has highlighted the need to take matters of safety of women very seriously.
In a write –up titled “Safety of Women Matters”, published recently in Nigeria Pilot, Sharang decried the rising incidents of violence against women, describing it as a serious social and public health issue which has become a global pandemic and so must be checked.
Sharang, who views matters of women’s safety as a source of concern to stakeholders, said that as part of efforts to check this aberration, Women’s Rights Advancement Protection-Alternative (WRAPA) has urged the government to strengthen the legal framework to protect the vulnerable women.
She stated that the government needs to take a posture against this monster called violence against women if success must be achieved.
Quoting the Secretary of WRAPA, Mrs Saudatu Madhi, Sharang said, “The society has not decided to tag violence against women as a criminal act, and unless we criminalise violence in the home, we will see such violence perpetuate itself. Children who are brought up in such homes will see violence as a normal thing.
“We need to build our legal framework to protect the vulnerable woman. The legal framework can only take care of her by holding perpetrator of violence against her accountable squarely; government must also take responsibly”.
Sharang noted that a Senior Programme Officer, Network of University Legal Aid Institutions (NULAI) Mrs Odi Lagi, who shares similar sentiment has also advocated the training of police officers to specifically spearhead the crusade against gender-based violence”.
Lagi, she said, urged the police to treat domestic violence as a crime and not a mere family affair that is expected to be settled at home.
Denouncing this enigma in its entirety, Sharang declared as absolutely unacceptable every form of domestic violence, reinstating the necessity of a legal framework since vulnerable persons who go through abuse are rarely bold enough to seek help.
She enjoined other activists and crusaders of a violence-free society to solicit the co-operation and collaboration of all and sundry to make this course a success.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has said that violence against women and girls is one of the most prevalent human rights violations in the world which knows no social, economic or national boundaries.
UNFPA said the violence against women undermines the health, dignity, security and autonomy of its victims, yet remains shrewded in silence.

Sylvia ThankGod-Amadi