Ondo state council of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, has solicited for timely justice for victims of Gender Based Violence lamenting that GBV has become a cankerworm that has eaten deep into the fabric of society.
The Ondo State Chairperson of the Association, Comrade Tola Gbadamosi, stated this while handing over a victim of Gender Based Violence to the Executive Director of the Ondo State Agency for Gender Based Violence in her Akure Office on Monday.
Gbadamosi charged every body, particularly the relevant organizations and the civil society organizations, to put all machinery in place to ensure that the menace is reduced, if not totally eradicated in the society .
She said, “We all know that we have to do much more to respond to the cries for justice of women and children who have suffered violence.
“We have to do much more to end these horrible abuses and the impunity that allows these human rights violations to continue.”
According to her, Girls and women continue to suffer female genital mutilation, a menace that necessitated NAWOJ to stand in defense of victims of marital violence of any kind and encourage them to speak out.
She said, victims should endeavour to officially report to the police station and the relevant authorities assuring that such victim will get the required justice to get the perpetrator face the wrath if the law.
Receiving the victim, The Executive Director of OSAGBV, Barr. Bolanle Afolabi, appreciated the efforts and support of NAWOJ in the struggle to ensure that Gender Based Violence is totally eradicated in the society.
Afolabi expressed the readiness of her agency to partner ONDO NAWOJ as she called on every individual to support the good cause because government cannot do it alone.
The Victim, Mrs Mary Opeyemi Vincent, an Ore based woman had earlier narrated her ordeal with her husband which she said she has being battling for over five years.
Her words: ” I have been enduring because my husband is a man of God, what is happening between us is unheard of. He has his own ministry, Christ’s Nation church, in Ore. We got married in November 3, 2012 and had two boys together.”
She said she had misunderstanding with her husband due to her refusal to accept a girl in addition to those at home whom she has been taking care of and for confronting him after catching him in infidelity with a church member .
Explaining her ordeal, she said her husband took away her children to his village and served her a divorced letter but that she wants to have her children back because they are being maltreated and wear wrags at the village.
” I was served a letter from the court as he had been advised. The second day, I called someone, and I went to see a lawyer, the lawyer is in Ondo, he said he needs a divorce and that the marriage has broken already and that I have a rebellious spirit. All I want is my children. I need my children back,” she cried.
