Anambra Arewa Community Demands Constitutional Amendment to Combat Gender-Based Violence

The Arewa Community in Anambra State has called for the amendment of certain laws which, according to the community, encourage gender-based violence (GBV) across the country.
The community described such laws as inimical to the peaceful coexistence of spouses in homes and society at large.
According to a resolution reached at the end of its sensitization and counselling programme on Gender-Based Violence held in Awka, Anambra State, the community stated that amending such laws would significantly reduce the incidence of GBV in Nigeria.
Speaking earlier, the resource person, Alfa Sheriff Olarenwaju, identified poverty, lack of education, and poor communication among spouses as some of the major causes of gender-based violence.
“There are laws that have given rise to such violence, and the earlier those laws are amended, the better for Nigerian society. Man was not made for laws; rather, laws were made for man,” he said .
He further stated: “Other causes of violence among genders include poverty. We advocate that both men and women should engage in meaningful means of livelihood. Also, when you look at the literacy rate in the country, there is an urgent need for all and sundry to embrace education because it is one of the easiest ways to liberate people from the propensity for violence.”
Making reference, Olarenwaju noted that Prophet Muhammad never supported violence against women, adding that there are religious consequences for wife battering and other forms of domestic abuse.
He further explained that violence is not perpetrated only against women, observing that there are situations in which women also commit acts of violence against men.
Also speaking, the Director of Population Programmes and former Gender Coordinator in the Anambra State Ministry of Health, Mrs. Ngozi Ekeh, noted that depression often leads to both domestic and non-domestic violence.
She added that both men and women must exercise restraint, patience, and decorum in their day-to-day activities.
“When depression sets in, frustration comes into the picture, and one may resort to violence as an option. This has led to broken homes and failed marriages,” she said.
The President of the Association of Non-Indigenes in Anambra State (ANIAS), Prince Chigozie Nweke, described the theme of the programme as timely and impactful, noting that it would have far-reaching effects on Nigerian society.
He commended the Arewa Community in Anambra State for organizing the sensitization programme and urged continued support for similar initiatives aimed at reducing gender-based violence and promoting peaceful coexistence.
In his remarks, the leader of the Arewa Community in Awka and Sarkin of the Northern Community, Alhaji Garba Haruna, congratulated the organizers for taking what he described as a bold and commendable step toward addressing a critical social challenge.
Haruna stated that the sensitization programme would become a continuous activity within the community and encouraged participants to take advantage of such initiatives to strengthen relationships across genders.
He emphasized that gender-based violence knows no ethnic, religious, or social boundaries, stressing the need for collective action to eradicate the menace from society.