WRAPA Nigeria Calls On Leaders Of Faith To Support Violence Against Women & Girls Accountability in Nigeria.
The increase in gender based violence is alarming & needs all hands on deck!
Our society is gradually becoming unhealthy with gendered power dynamics & inequities visible in the danger of gender-based violence that women and girls suffer.
We cannot claim to be making true progress toward equality, development, and peace as long as this trend continues. Without a doubt, violence against women is one of the most heinous human rights violations, as well as one of the most widespread. It has no geographical, cultural, or economic boundaries, and it is based on uneven power relations that are perpetuated by social and gender norms that legitimate and excuse VAWG.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is on the rise, particularly against women and girls, revealing underlying social standards that allow men to feel entitled to women’s bodies without their consent.
Vera Uwaila Omozuwa, a 22-year-old Microbiology student who went to her vacant church in Benin City, Edo State, southern Nigeria, to study was raped and died on May 27, 2020, in a crime that has raised anger across Nigeria and beyond. Since then, the hashtag #JusticeforUwa has been trending on Nigerian social media. Today, Osinachi Nwachukwu is the subject of yet another call for justice. A female church minister who was allegedly murdered by her husband.
Mrs. Osinachi Nwachukwu is believed to have sought advice from her religious authorities about her husband’s constant violence, but was encouraged to remain steadfast in her prayers. Today! Mrs. Osinachi can pray no more as she loses her life to VAWG.
Faith leaders can have a huge impact in changing the norms that allow VAWG to happen. When domestic violence occurs, their perspectives are frequently solicited.
As a result, we urge all religious leaders to do the following:
- Take a stand against all forms of VAWG.
- To act quickly in holding those responsible for these heinous acts accountable.
- To effectively counsel their congregation on the dangers of VAWG while also fostering good masculinity dialogues and also do away with misinterpreting the scriptures which misleads the followers.
WRAPA will continue to work with leaders of faith & culture to sensitize the religious space, create awareness on the impact of VAWG in family & society settings, to build counseling units amongst religious spaces that will hold perpetrators of VAWG & create safe spaces for Women & Girls.
AN Enabled Society is that which is Free from Violence!