By Our Correspondent
The Director of Social Welfare Services in the Ogun State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mr. Olumide Sotubo, has said that extent and health impact of domestic violence among couples have prompted recommendations for the use of family planning among women folks particularly, in this part of the world, where marital rape was a taboo.
Sotubo, through Agency’s Press Officer, Mrs Kemi Peters made this known during the ‘2019 Couples Forum’, organised by the agency, at Women Development Centre, Oke- Ilewo, Abeokuta, the state capital.
Sotubo while declaring open the programme with the theme, ‘’Domestic Violence, the Causes, Kinds, Effects and Preventive Measures’’, explained that domestic violence was as a result of disagreement between couples over sex.
He added that some wives were sexually abused or raped by their husbands, when out of fear of unwanted pregnancy, they decided not to give in to having regular sex with their partners.
In her contribution, the Resource Person, Dr. (Mrs.) Toyin Makinde, described domestic violence as, any behaviour within an intimate relationship that caused physical, psychological or sexual harm to those in the relationship.
Dr. Makinde explained that abuse could range from physical violence such as hitting, kicking and punching to emotional abuse, such as isolating a partner from friends and families or repeated humiliations, adding that it could also involve limit access to finances.
She stated further that both men and women could be victims of domestic violence but some were more likely to suffer repeated and more severe abuse, advising victims of domestic violence to speak out and seek help from the right source.
One of the participants at the programme, Mrs. Iyabo Oladele, appreciated government for organising such a forum, saying she had learnt to be submissive to her husband if women learn to be obedient to avoid rape related issues.
In a related development, stakeholders in all sectors have been charged to fight against violence against persons.
This was part of submissions at the quarterly meeting of the State Sexual Gender-Based Violence Response Network, organised by the Ministry, held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Oke Mosan, Abeokuta.
At the meeting, the Chief Executive Officer, Women Advocates’ Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), Dr. Abiola Afolabi-Akiode, said, there should be a synergy between stakeholders, in order to fight against this violence.
”To women, what others think is private is public, because it affects every facet of life. Violence makes one lose self-esteem because it has no respect for gender or qualification’’, she said.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Director of Women Empowerment Services, Mrs. Bolanle Fadairo, said government was determined to wage war against gender-based violence, soliciting for the support of stakeholders in the enforcement of laws guiding against the menace.
Stakeholders at the event included the Nigerian Police, Vigilante Services, Ministry of Justice, NDLEA, health providers, social workers among others.