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Tag: violence

  • My pains going about with one hand -Pastor Movel

    My pains going about with one hand -Pastor Movel

    Pastor James Movel Wuye relives how he lost a limb to what he described as needless violence, the pains he bears and the gains of the peace initiative he now  champions with his foe turned friend, Imam Muhammed Ashafa.

    What was the motivating factor behind the establishment of the Inter-Faith Mediation Centre?

    Inter Faith came about as a result of the chance meeting between myself and Imam Ashafa in 1995. We never planned to start something like that. Actually, when we met, our desire was to find a way of dealing with one another. Eventually, it turned out to be something that sprang out as a response to the violence we were having. If you look at me, I have an artificial limb. I lost my limb through the activities aimed at protecting the church in 1992 after the Zangon Kataf crisis. As a result of that, Imam and myself started the centre where we started calling on religious personalities, particularly among the youths to come and let us address this menace in our land.

    That was how it started as a child of necessity to address an issue that was facing the society. Issues of youth restiveness, religious violence and religious radicalism which was subtly entering into all the religions. As a response system, Christians also started justifying violence. That was how the centre came about 19 years ago.

    You carry an artificial limb today. Tell us your experience carrying an artificial limb, especially your right hand.

    The irony of my hand is that when I lost it, I did not feel a sense of loss because I thought I was defending a cause. But later, I got emotional because I was not born left- handed. So, I had to learn all over again how to right. The painful aspect was the fact that I had to wear beeb each time I want to eat because my hands will be shaking all through. As I scoop rice or any other food, I smear my dress. When I go out, I have to put my hand in a jacket because many who knew me were now seeing me with one hand and they will ask so many questions. Eventually, I got a hand which was looking black. In fact, the first hand I got was a Chinese hand and that was not nice at all. Then, I got one that looked like my hand, but without a palm and that was very expensive.

    Lately, I got this one I am using now with a palm and you must look closely to know it is artificial. Many people stay with me for a long time without knowing that I am incapacitated this way. This issue is that there is nothing like the original, even though it costs about N1 million. Some people donated money to buy this, but it is already fading and breaking. So, don’t fight and lose a limb because it is very costly to replace and you can never get the original. So, why don’t you dialogue instead of using excessive energy to destroy each other? For me, that is the pain I carry. My regret is that I have some young people whose wives are still widows who were with me in the struggle and are now dead and from 1992 till date, those young girls are now mothers and grandmothers without husbands.

    I wish I knew the path of dialogue, I would not have gone into this situation. So, this is the pain I carry; but I am happy that this thing is happening so that others will not lose their limbs or their loved ones or their premises or their businesses. To our brothers in the insurgency, especially those who are still not happy with what is happening, they should come out for a dialogue and there should be sincerity on the part of the government to show that they really need the dialogue and grant immunity for those who will come out for this dialogue. There should also be sincerity on the part of those people who are there trying to express their grievances in the way they are doing. Both parties must be sincere and then, we can get somewhere. It is possible to do dialogue, it is possible to stop this insurgency through dialogue and superior argument and discussion with people who feel differently.

    What have been the success stories?

    To me, we have so many success stories that I don’t even know what to say; but you talk about our success locally, there is a saying in Hausa that if somebody promises you a suit, you look at the one he is wearing so that you know what to expect. Our first major success story was in 2002 when we brought over 15,000 Nigerians, including religious leaders, to the Murtala Square in Kaduna here to sign a peace declaration and almost all the members of the diplomatic community in Nigeria were in attendance. We had the British, the Americans and also a message from Yasir Arafat who was still alive then and a message from the Israeli foreign minister.

    For me, that was the peak. Another one was when we went to Yelwa Shendam, Plateau State, where a genocide was said to have been committed against the two factions that were fighting. Corpses were buried enmasse both for Christians and Muslims and we went there and tried to marshal out what we called the Shendam Peace affirmation. The then governor who was on suspension was just returning to office after the state of emergency and he came to sign that peace pack. Since then, Yelwa Shendam has been peaceful inspite of the challenges that had happened in Plateau State. Up till this point, the city of Yelwa Shendam is still peaceful partly because of that work we did for which we got a grassroot response to conflict, which is still standing. Another one that happened was in a city outside Nigeria. We were partly responsible for the restoration of peace between the Kikuyu and Kalenji in Kenya. We are helping them to solve the problem between cattle rustlers, farmers and pastoralists. They have learnt a lot from Nigeria.

    A prophet does not have respect in his home town. The Prime Minister of Malaysia will invite us and in Chad, we have trained all their journalists and community leaders and now, there is a film coming out called the Chadian solution. We also have a film that has been produced in Kenya as a result of the restoration of peace. Rutu is a Kalenji, while President Uhuru Kenyatta is a Kikuyi and the fighting in Endorent was between the Kikuyis and the Kalenjis. With our little intervention, after the post-election violence, we have a Kikuyi as President and a Kalenji as Vice President and they are telling the World Court that they have resolved their problems and so, their leaders should not be taken there because we have forgiven them. But the World Court, being a system of justice is still inviting the leaders to come.

    So, if you say what success we are talking about locally, I can tell you about Kaduna and Yelwa Shendam. What successes are we talking about internationally that has measureable impact? Go to Endoret and you will know our story. We were in Burundi in 2005 where we were given the title of Ihingi Amahoro. ‘Ihingi’ means pillar, while ‘Amahoro’ means peace. It was given to us over there at the national level in Burundi. The conference of the cities in transition held recently in Kaduna is like the icing on the cake. We have a young governor who drove himself to the venue of the conference to see what was going on. It showed that the guy is pragmatic and he is the kind of a leader we want. He supported the programme, otherwise, we would not have had the financial capacity to do it. For us, it is a great achievement and we looking forward to working more with him to bring tolerance to Nigeria and peace among the people of this country.

    What have been the challenges?

    We have been in Plateau State since 2001 working with successive governments. We have success with some governors, while we have challenges with others. I will say generally that in some states, there is the lack of political will on the part of the government and the leaders to implement agreements. It is one thing to agree on something with the local people and it is another thing to implement what you have agreed. Some governments in some of the places where we have worked appeared to be part of the problem and instead of being the solution. But everybody has his narratives. If you meet the government, they will tell you the reason why they are doing what they are doing and the people will also give their own reasons.

    But generally speaking, our main constrain is that there is the issue of supporting initiatives. We have what we know which has been tested in other parts of the world that we can give Nigerians. We can both handle this issue of insurgency if given the necessary space and support, just as we have handled such issues in other parts of the world. We can also handle such issue here because we have the credentials and credibility to do that. So, our challenge is having more partnership with the government in states where we are working and the Federal Government itself.

    You hosted the Conference of the Forum for Cities in Transition. What did you intend to achieve with the conference?

    Sharing and caring and the fact that we are not alone in our troubles and that we are going to have some solution because others have solution. If we harmonise our solution and their own solution, we can have a refined solution. What we are saying is that people came from conflict spots in the world to learn the Kaduna model. They went round Kaduna, visiting places aimed at reintegrating the society. They learnt a lot from it and took back what they learnt to their countries and they also shared with us their own experiences. We are excited about the conference, especially because it brought people from several countries to Kaduna and we also had people across Nigeria in attendance. It was not a coffee drinking workshop because at the end of it, people were given tasks which they are expected to report on at the next conference. It is not just talk without implementation. We are pragmatic people and the Inter-Faith Centre wants to see things done.

  • End gender-based and intimate partner violence, now

    The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based and Intimate Partner Violence, beginning on November 25 and ending on December 10, International Human Rights day, offers an opportunity to renew the global commitment to free women and girls from violence.  Whether it happens behind closed doors or as a public tactic of intimidation, whether it occurs in our neighborhoods or on distant shores, violence against women and girls damages us all, men and women alike.  As Secretary Kerry has stated, “Too many women are being silenced, abused, or subjected to violence simply because of their gender….  Their courage must inspire us to continue to work toward a world where every woman can live free of violence and pursue her fullest potential.”

    Gender-based and intimate partner violence cuts across ethnic, racial, socio-economic, and religious lines, and knows no borders.  It occurs in Nigeria, the United States, and every other nation.  An estimated one in three women worldwide has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime, with intimate partner violence as the most common form.  This means that most of us know a victim of this violence or even have been victimized yourself.

    The term ‘intimate partner violence’ describes physical, sexual, or psychological harm by a current or former partner or spouse.  This type of violence can occur among heterosexual or same-sex couples and does not require sexual intimacy.  Intimate partner violence includes acts of physical aggression, psychological abuse, forced intercourse and other forms of sexual coercion, and various controlling behaviors such as isolating a person from family and friends or restricting access to information and assistance.  Intimate partner violence affects 30% of women worldwide; 35% of women around the world have been raped or physically abused, and, if this violence occurs at home, 80% of the time it is caused by a partner or spouse.  Although women can be violent in relationships with men, the overwhelming burden of gender-based and intimate partner violence is borne by women at the hands of men.

    We all need to work together—the international community, governments, multilateral organizations, private sector companies, and grassroots-level advocates, to address and prevent violence from occurring.  Many nations, including Nigeria, have passed legislation addressing gender-based violence.  The next critical step is to improve implementation of those laws in order to increase accountability and address impunity.

    No country can get ahead if it leaves half of its people behind.  Nigerian women die needlessly for lack of proper health care, are forced into prostitution and human trafficking, face poverty for lack of an education, and cannot live up to their potential to contribute to a democratic and prosperous Nigeria.

    The United States believes gender equality is critical to our shared goals of peace, security and prosperity.  We invest in the training and mentoring of women entrepreneurs, so they can not only lift up their own families, but also help their countries’ economies grow.  We invest in girls’ education so that they can escape forced early marriage, break the cycle of poverty, and develop into community leaders and engaged citizens.  Increasing girls’ and women’s education and their access to resources also improves the health and education of the next generation.

    We need to empower girls to speak up for themselves, and educate boys to speak up for their sisters.  We must support the inclusion of men, boys, and critical community stakeholders – such as religious leaders – in addressing and preventing violence and changing gender norms and attitudes.  Together, we need increased advocacy and more interaction between policy makers and those who work in the field.  We must ultimately overcome the deep-rooted gender inequalities that either tacitly allow or actively promote violent, discriminatory practices.

    I hope Nigerians will want to join me in taking part in the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based and Intimate Partner Violence.  You can follow the U.S. Embassy’s activities by visiting our website at (http://nigeria.usembassy.gov) and Facebook (http://facebook.com/usembassynigeria).  You can also contact or visit our Information Resource Centers in Abuja and Lagos to learn what the United States and other countries have done to protect women, such as the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, which strengthened efforts to investigate and prosecute violent crimes against women, including domestic violence.

    When women and girls can live free from violence and are afforded equal opportunities in education, healthcare, employment and political participation, they lift up their families, their communities and their nations, and act as agents of change.  As Secretary Kerry stated, “Investing in girls is a critical part of our duty to promote peace, security and prosperity around the world.  Empowered girls grow up empowered women.  They grow up to be empowered mothers, leaders, and innovators.”

    • Brewer is Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of United States, Abuja

  • Eliminating violence against women

    Eliminating violence against women

    It could be physical, sexual, economic or even psychological. These are the forms of violence against women. Women and girls inclusive have regularly been victims of molestation, physical beatings and maltreatments which results in broken hearts, broken homes and hatred for people.

    These forms of violence are interrelated and affect women from birth to old age. Some types of violence, such as trafficking, cross national boundaries.

    In unison, the world is rising to eliminate violence against women. For this reason, every November 25 is set aside to reinvigorate the campaign against violence.

    According to United Nations, “Violence against women is a human rights violation. Violence against women is a consequence of discrimination against women, in law and also in practice, and of persisting inequalities between men and women.

    Violence against women, the UN believes impacts on, and impedes, progress in many areas, including poverty eradication, combating HIV/AIDS, and peace and security.

    An analysis by WHO with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Medical Research Council, based on existing data from over 80 countries, found that globally 35 per cent of women have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence.

    This analysis states that most of this violence is intimate partner violence. Worldwide, almost one third (30 per cent) of all women who have been in a relationship have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner, in some regions this is much higher.

    A Gender report in 2012 says that “Up to one third of Nigerian women report that they have been subjected to some form of violence. One in five has experienced physical violence.”

    According to the report, “Violence against women is unacceptable, archaic, barbaric and unconstitional in Nigeria. Such violence meted against women includes: trafficking, circumcision, sexual harassment, physical beating et al. Nigerians in unison need not stay aloof even as the world unite to eradicate this abnormal situation.”

    Speaking on the title “Uniting to end violence against Women and Girls” at an event held at the Nigerian Law School, Lagos, earlier this year, the first lady of Lagos State, Mrs Abimbola Fashola, noted that there are institutional problems limiting the efficacy of the campaign against women abuse. One of such problems is ‘inefficiency of law enforcement agencies and difficulties with the judicial system.’

    “Considering the increase in reported cases of violence and abuse against women, there is urgent need for reform of our laws. There are of course institutional problems, such as the inefficiency of law enforcement agencies and the difficulties with the judicial system and access to it.

    “We need to adequately train and equip law enforcement agents to be able to enforce the law that convicted persons do not escape the full wrath of the law in order to serve as a deterrent to would-be offenders,” Mrs. Fahola said earlier this year.

    Collaborating her claims, a don at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Dr. Abigail Ndisika-Ogwezzy notes that the laws of the land need to be enhanced to provide the enabling platform for women suffering to speak.

    She further calls on human rights group to create awareness amongst women to forestall violence. This she says will eliminate the naivety of women suffering from maltreatment in the society.

    “Most times these women don’t even know they are maltreated. Therefore human rights groups need to create the awareness,” she says.

    Proffering a solution to this hydra-headed problem, the don proposes a ‘multi-sectoral approach’ – Individual and societal approach.  She says this approach involves sensitising the victims, men, opinion leaders, societal norms, religious leaders and law enforcement.

    “The men need to be educated to see his wife as his better half. By knowing this, beating his wife results in beating himself and as such need not to be so.”

    “Whenever the rights of a woman are violated, the first person she runs to is the opinion leader, her pastor or Imam. These people need to be trained on how to handle such cases in order not to result in an escalation,” she says.

    The gender equality and women empowerment activist attributes the low reports to authorities by violated women to the following: no response plan, fear of the unknown, societal norms and poverty. “All these problems peculiar to Nigeria hampers the elimination of violence against women. There is a need to ensure a well structured approach to tackle this violence.

    “The Millennium Development Goal (MDG) number three supports gender equality and women empowerment and as such women must be empowered in order not to be at the mercy of the society.”

    In his address marking the day, Secretary-General United Nations Ban Ki Moon, called for all people to recommit to preventing and halting all forms of violence against women and girls.

    His address in full:

    “Violence against women and girls directly affects individuals while harming our common humanity. In response to this global challenge, I launched my UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign in 2008. Since then, partners around the world have joined our drive to protect the human rights of women and girls to live free from violence.

    “I welcome the chorus of voices calling for an end to the violence that affects an estimated one in three women in her lifetime. I applaud leaders who are helping to enact and enforce laws and change mindsets. And I pay tribute to all those heroes around the world who help victims to heal and to become agents of change.

    “Last month, on United Nations Day, I had the privilege of meeting again with one such hero: Dr. Denis Mukwege, the founder of the Panzi hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where women go after experiencing terrible atrocities. Dr. Mukwege has said, “Many times we are reduced to tears. Everything is so damaged. But we get to work. We operate. We fix what we can, and that is a lot.” He is inspired by the courage of the women he treats, including the many who go on to help others.

    “Although Dr. Mukwege is dealing with violence against women in the context of armed conflict, his spirit to confront and fix this problem should apply to all of our efforts to help women facing violence in homes, schools and other civilian settings throughout the world, in every country, every society.

    “Traditionally, this Day marks the start of 16 days of activism. From November 25th until December 10th – Human Rights Day – we make a special effort to organize and combat violence against women, an egregious human rights violation. This year, we are raising awareness by wearing the colour orange to symbolize our commitment to this cause.

    “One way to make a difference is to support the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, which helps respond to human rights violations and needs from physical safety to economic security. While the demand for its grants has more than doubled in recent years, the amount it has been able to distribute has diminished by 60 per cent. I appeal to all partners to help meet this vast unmet demand for resources to further advance efforts to prevent and end violence against women and girls.

    “This International Day to End Violence against Women is an opportunity for all people to recommit to preventing and halting all forms of violence against women and girls.”

     

     

  • Saving children

    Saving children

    About 35,000 of our children are killed every day. We kill them in wars. We kill them with drones. We kill them in our homes. We also kill children in vast numbers by starving them to death in Africa, Asia and Central/South America because we use military violence to maintain an ‘economic’ system that allocates resources for military weapons, as well as corporate profits for the wealthy, instead of resources for living.

    Apart from those children we kill every day, we sell many others into sexual slavery, we kidnap others to terrorise them into becoming child soldiers, we force others to work as slave labourers, in horrific conditions, in fields and factories (and buy the cheap products of their exploited labour as our latest ‘bargain’), and we condemn millions to live in poverty, homelessness and misery.

    We cause many children to be born with grotesque genetic deformities because we use horrific weapons, like those with depleted uranium, on their parents. We also inflict violence on
    children in many other forms, ranging from ‘ordinary’ domestic violence to genital mutilation.

    And we imprison vast numbers of children in school in the delusional belief that this is good for them. Whatever other damage that school does, it certainly helps to create the next generation of child-destroyers.

    Despite all of the above, we adults still maintain our delusion that we humans love our children. And that we are civilised. Mind boggling!

    While some effort has been made by the international community to recognise that young human beings have needs, so far these efforts have failed to identify, and therefore meaningfully address, the primary reason why no child in the world today has its most fundamental needs met. This failure ensures that all of our other efforts to preserve and enhance life must ultimately fail, as our rush to extinction graphically illustrates. How can I say this? Consider this.

    The man who inflicts violence on women was damaged during childhood. The white person who inflicts violence on people of colour was damaged during childhood. The employer who exploits workers was damaged during childhood.
    The individual who endorses the state violence inflicted on indigenous peoples was damaged during childhood. The terrorist, the political leader who wages war and the soldier who kills in our name were all damaged during childhood.

    The person who supports structures of violence (such as the military, police, legal and prison systems) was damaged during childhood. The person who supports structures of exploitation (such as capitalism and imperialism) was damaged during childhood. The person who thoughtlessly participates in destruction of the natural environment was damaged during childhood.

    Violence does not ‘just happen’. It is perpetrated by damaged individuals, including ourselves. Or it is built into political, social and economic structures by damaged individuals, such as ourselves. So we have a choice.
    We can take responsibility for healing the damage done to ourselves. And we can take responsibility for ending the origin of all of this violence: the violence we adults inflict on children. Or we can continue to delude ourselves that there is another source of all of the violence in our world and devote more erroneous effort to addressing it.
    All violence is an outcome of the visible, ‘invisible’ and ‘utterly invisible’ violence inflicted by adults on children. Once the child has been damaged, it will inflict violence on itself, the people around it, as well as non-human species and the natural environment; it will also play a part in maintaining structures of violence and exploitation (such as the education and legal systems, as well as capitalism) in which it is both victim and perpetrator.

    Where violence has been exposed in other contexts, it has led to liberation movements (such as the anti-slavery movement; the anti-war movement; struggles against imperialism, colonialism and racism; women’s liberation; struggles for the rights of indigenous peoples; the environment movement; animal liberation; struggles for the rights of people with disabilities; and the struggle against homophobia) as well as solidarity movements (in which, for example, whites have acted in solidarity with people of colour, pro-feminist men have acted in solidarity with women, and humans have acted in solidarity with non-human species and the natural environment).

    Clearly, a children’s and adolescents’ liberation movement, by whatever name, is long overdue. And while an appropriate charter of young people’s needs might include many provisions contained in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, it must ultimately include fundamental provisions that identify the need to live without the fear and experience of adult
    violence in its many forms, and the need to be listened to and allowed to act in accord with their own Self-will, even when this conflicts with adult preferences.

    Until we are able to acknowledge and support these needs of children, we are deluding ourselves about the possibility of effectively tackling the military, ecological and economic threats to our survival. And time is clearly running out.

    So, to all young people, everywhere, my promise is this: I admit that I inflict violence on you, particularly when you have feelings that frighten me. I also admit that I do not listen to you and
    trust you when you tell me what you need because I like to pretend that I know better than you do or, and it’s scary for me to admit this, you might make choices that conflict with social norms or laws and I will have to make a stand with you, or even on your behalf.

    From today, I promise that I will try  not to inflict this violence on you, including that which I call ‘punishment’ so that I can pretend that I am not using violence, and I will do all that I can to stop other adults inflicting violence on you as well.

    I also admit that we adults have done a bad job at looking after each other, including all of our children, and planet Earth, your home, and that you are going to have an increasingly difficult life as the natural world continues to break down. So I promise to participate in efforts
    being made to address all of these problems, such as that outlined in ‘The Flame Tree Project to Save Life on Earth’ http://tinyurl.com/flametree You can do this with me, if you like.

    I will also let you make all of your choices freely in the same way that I expect to make mine. If you make mistakes, if you change your mind, I will accept these as part of your learning and growing.  This means, for example, that if you tell me that you do not want to go to school (where I know that other adults will tell you what to do in violation of your Self-will), then I will not force you to do so. There are better ways of learning and we can work out together how you might go about doing this.

    If we have differences about what to do, I promise that I will talk about it with you until we find a way forward that seems fair to us both. When I was a child, the adults in my life didn’t give me much choice about what I did, so I am scared that talking about something means that ‘no-one will listen’ and I won’t get what I want. But I will try to trust that if I talk honestly to you about what I need, then you will listen carefully and help me to get what I need as well. I know that if I listen and fair to you, I trust you to listen and be fair with me, then you will learn to listen and be fair with everyone. But this is hard for me. Conflict has often been scary.

    I will not presume that you are less capable than I am, even though you are younger. I will treat you like an equal, just as we adults like to be treated as equals.

    I will be honest with you about how I feel and what I need. Most importantly of all, I promise that I will listen to you as best I can. I get scared when you are scared, angry or sad but part of me knows that you need to feel scared, angry or sad (or something else) when things
    don’t work out as you want, just as you will sometimes feel content, loving or happy when things do work out. Of course, it is easier for me to listen when you are content, loving and happy, and I wish that you were like that all of the time! But life isn’t like that hey? I also get scared
    when you tell me that your Dad/Mum or someone I think is our friend is abusing you but I will do my best to listen to and support you to defend yourself against this violence, one way or another. In my heart, I know that listening means listening to however you are and letting that guide what you do. In the adult world, however, this just isn’t easy to do every day. But I will try! This means, then, that I will also not try to scare you out of telling me the truth when I don’t like it, including your truth about me!

    From today, in a nutshell, I promise that I will support you to act in accordance with your own Self-will. I want you to be free and to be everything that you were born to be.

    Oh, and finally, as best I can, I promise to love you and to respect you as a unique, beautiful and compassionate creation with a great deal to offer the world (as long as adults don’t get in your way). You are, indeed, a child of the Universe. You do, indeed, have a right to be here.

    As an adult, would you be willing to make this promise too? To whom would you make it? If you are not willing to make this promise, what does this tell you about yourself?

    There is no doubt that giving every child (or adult, for that matter) all of the space they need to feel, deeply, what they want to do, and to then let them do it (or to have the feelings they naturally have if someone or something prevents them from doing so) will have some dysfunctional outcomes in the short term.

    This is because we have all been dysfunctionalised, to a greater or lesser extent, by the violence we have already suffered throughout our lives. But listening deeply to a child from birth (or starting today), and supporting it to act out its own Self-will, will lead to an infinitely better overall outcome than the system of emotional suppression, control and punishment of children which has generated the incredibly violent world in which we now find ourselves.

    It will, of course, be difficult for some form of young people’s liberation movement to emerge given the extraordinary level of violence which children suffer and their economic dependence on adults.

    However, many social contexts still provide some space, and social media might
    offer new opportunities, for political organisation by young people. Until they do organize politically, those adults who wish to act in solidarity with children can readily do so by doing any or all of the following seven things.

    First, like some individual members of other violent/oppressive groups before you (such as anti-racist whites and pro-feminist men who sought to eliminate their own racism/sexism), you could take responsibility for identifying and progressively eliminating your own violence against
    children (using the information in ‘Why Violence?’ as a guide or, preferably, by listening to children).

    Second, you could raise awareness of violence against children and challenge/support others, including institutions, to take responsibility for ending their violence against children (perhaps by asking them to consider making the ‘Promise to Children’ above).

    Third, you could listen to children (in silence) with patience, love and compassion when children feel safe to talk of (or otherwise reveal, perhaps through some form of artistic expression) their experience of violence and to express their feelings (including fear, anger, sadness and others) about this violence.

    Fourth, you could organise a safe forum (facilitated by someone experienced in listening to emotionally-disturbing events) in which a few children could share with each other (by talking or through some form of artistic expression) their experiences of, and feelings about, the
    violence they have suffered and witnessed.

    Fifth, you could support children’s efforts to communicate and organise around the issue of adult violence against children.

    Sixth, you could support children to take action against adult violence when those children feel courageous enough to act (or you could act on the child’s behalf when the child is too young or too terrified to act for itself).

    Finally, you could act in solidarity with the child in yourself. You were a victim as a child and no one acted in solidarity with you. You can learn to listen to yourself while you have your feelings about violent childhood experiences or you can get someone else you trust to listen to you about
    what happened to you. In time, this will make you better able to listen to, and be an ally of, children (even when they tell you about your violence against them).

    If you wish to join the worldwide movement to end all violence, including violence against children, you can sign online ‘The People’s Charter to Create a Nonviolent World’
    http://thepeoplesnonviolencecharter.wordpress.com  It takes courage to tell the truth that no-one wants to hear. It takes fearlessness to act on it.


    Burrowes, has done extensive research since 1966 in an effort to understand why human beings are violent and has been a nonviolent activist since 1981. He can be reached through email:     flametree@riseup.net and website: http://robertjburrowes.wordpress.com

  • ‘Give teeth to domestic violence law’

    ‘Give teeth to domestic violence law’

    Five years after the enactment of the Lagos State Domestic Violence Law (LSDVL), stakeholders last week met at Ikeja to appraise the law and its effectiveness in eradicating domestic violence.

    Participants at the dialogue noted that lack of awareness has been the major challenge confronting the effectiveness of the law, as most victims of domestic violence are not in the know of its existence.

    They argued that religion and culture have also brainwashed many victims such that they prefer to suffer from violence than report the abuser.

    Organisations such as the Department For International Development (DFID), State Accountability and Voice Initiative (SAVI), Office of the Public Defender,OPD,Women Arise, Women Advocate and Research Documentation Centre as well as Lagos State Ministries of Information, Justice and Women Affairs (WAPA), were represented.

    State legislator, Hon.Funmi Tejuosho, was at the dialogue and the wife of Lagos Governor, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola was represented by a Director in WAPA, Mrs. Folasade Ogunnaike, while the state’s Deputy Governor, Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Establishment, Mrs. Folasade Jaji.

    Participants observed that unavailability of funds has also hindered the implementation of the law, just as they called for a budgetary provision on domestic violence.

    In her opening remarks, Mrs. Fashola said the state is trying to conquer the challenge of victims not wanting to be seen as having reported their spouse or family member.

    “We try to make them know that the perpetrator will be invited in private so that they can be sensitised on the existence of the LSDVL.

    “That women are ‘bound’ by certain cultures not to report their family members does not mean that they have to wait till they are dead before speaking out on cases of violence or abuse.

    “Sometimes, all the abusers need is sensitisation of the existence of the law and they will take a new leave.

    “People need to know that the law is not biased for women or against men. It is a family law.

    “Because it is quasi-criminal, the emphasis is to protect the marriage so that we do not have children from broken home most of whom end up as ‘area boys,” she said.

    Delivering a keynote address on Tackling domestic violence in Nigeria: the Lagos State challenges and opportunities, Mrs Orelope-Adefulire said 85 per cent of domestic violence were against women.

    She stated that the state has achieved 20 per cent reduction in violence through issuance of yellow cards to abusers, noting the need for increased campaigns against the vice, to enlighten more people.

    The deputy governor also noted the need to re-orient the police so that abusers willbe brought ot book.

    “There should be a seperate desk at the stations with police officers trained in handling issues of domestic violence, so that victims will not be taunted each time they take their cases to the station,” Mrs Orelope-Adefulire said.

    Tejosho, who sponsored the bill at the State Assembly, expressed delight that progress has been recorded since its enactment.

    “The law is to protect the marriage, we are aware that a lot of couples want their marriage to be intact, most times all the victims fear is the violence, which they want to stop.

    “So, Domestic Violence Law has been put in place to ensure that the matter is heard in private so that the parties will not feel they are washing their dirty linen in public. People need to understand that the law is a quasi-criminal law, abusers will not be handcuffed or tortured, our interest is to ensure that the abuses are stopped,” she said.

    Continuing, Tejousho said: “So far so good, I am glad we have this kind of gathering for people to know that the law exists. We can never get tired of talking about domestic violence so that it can be reduced to the barest minimum.

    “As we continue to deliberate on issues of domestic violence, people will begin to realise that there is no taboo in talking about it. We are beginning to realise that more people are complaining and the death that arises from it is reducing minimally but by God’s grace we will be able to eradicate it from our society.”

    However, she disagreed that funds were not available and have hindered the implementation of the law.

    “When you talk about laws, it depends on what the law is about. It is not WAPA that handles criminal matters; they will provide temporary measure from the day the violence is reported to the point where there is solution. They cannot keep victims forever.

    ‘’When you talk of criminal issues, it is basically the duty of the police, which is not funded by state governments although we help with security issues through the Security Trust Fund.

    “Also, when you talk of enforcement, it deals with the judiciary, which is a separate arm of government and you must appreciate that there is separation of power, and I can tell you that at present in Lagos Judiciary, there are family courts with judges and magistrates assign to specially and exclusively handle family matters,without funds, that would not be achieved.

    “However, there is a limit to every budget, if you have a specific amount of money you list your priorities in the order of importance for it to be approved.

    “But as I said, there is need for improvement. We cannot say because we have achieved somethings, so, we would not work for the law to be better.

    “As we continue to speak about it, not only will the Federal Government appreciate that when it comes to issues of domestic violence, it transcends the home and robs on the society, but must also provide budget to tackle the problem head long,”Tejousho said.

    President, Campaign for Democracy(CD), Dr. Joe Oke-Odumakin, said domestic violence was on the rise in the country and “it is killing us and maiming our people”.

    She said there should be enough protection for victims, adding that people should be able to know the extent to which the law can protect them.

    “Law enforcement agencies should also be made to know that they owe it a duty to ensure that victims of domestic violence get justice rather than taunt them.

    “The government should ensure counselling centres as provided in the law are set up in every local government so that people can run to the centres and get succour.

    “In terms of budgeting, a lot needs to be done. Talk is very cheap, but in terms of practising, it should be budgeted for adequately because there are cases where there is need to rehabilitate people or foot their medical bills,” she said.

    On rape, Odumakin urged victims to avoid destroying rape evidence until samples have been taken at the hospital.

    “There must a conscious effort in letting people know that they should not destroy rape evidence. It is very discomforting but they have to learn to go to the hospital and walk around without cleaning up until the evidence is taken,” she said.

    Ogunnaike told The Nation that WAPA was training women identified as supervisors for WAPA (Super-WAPAs) at the local government level.

    “We are just bringing them up. They are political appointees from the grassroots and we believe that because of their base, they have more in route towards that level of reporting.

    “So, after training them on what to do, we will allow them replicate what is happening in the state so as to decentralise the issue and allow other people come on board.

    “We are also encouraging spouses of the local government chairmen to assist, especially in making referrals. Some people do not want to report cases within their environment because of stigma.

    “We have temporary shelter to house victims of domestic violence and we also work with NGOs who usually bring their cases to us. We do not discriminate because anyone who lives in Lagos is bound by the laws of the state,” she said.

     

  • N1.58b for Bauchi post-election violence victims

    Bauchi State Deputy Governor Sagir Aminu Saleh yesterday urged the eight-man joint-committee set up by the federal and Bauchi State governments to judiciously share the N1.58 billion compensation for victims of the 2011 post-election violence in the state.

    Saleh, who is also the Chairman of the committee, spoke at the inaugural meeting of the committee in his office at Bauchi.

    He noted that the money would give succour to victims of the post-presidential election violence, which occurred in 12 local government areas.

    Ten members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), among other residents, died in the violence.

    Property estimated at millions of naira were also destroyed.

    Saleh said: “There is nothing one can do about it.” He, however, prayed that “such does not happen again”.

    The committee, which has two weeks – with effect from September 14 – to complete its assignment, is “to disburse the N1.58 billion to victims of the 2011 post-election violence in the state; pay to the victims of the 2011 post-election violence whose names appear on the authentic list”.

    It is also “to liaise with the Sheikh Ahmed Lemu Presidential Committee on the 2011 Post-Election Violence and the State Emergency Management Agency to obtain the authentic list of victims of the 2011 Post-Election Violence in the state”.

    The committee is expected to submit a weekly progress report to the Governor’s Office through the Secretary to the State Government (SSG)” and “to submit a final report on the disbursement of the relief fund to this office (SSG’s Office) within two weeks from its first sitting”.

    Members of the committee are: Saleh, (Chairman); Ibrahim Jahun, Sheikh Ahmed Lemu, (of Presidential Committee on 2011 Post-Election Violence, the representative of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the representative of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

  • Aregbesola preaches against religious violence

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has preached against religious violence.

    He urged religious leaders to reach out to the hopeless.

    The governor spoke in Awe, Oyo State, at the 41st anniversary of the Gospel Conference of Nigeria and overseas.

    In his speech, entitled: “Honour comes with responsibility, which was delivered by his aide on Legal Matters, Dr. Sunkanmi Anwo, Aregbesola said despite the faults people find in religion, “it remains one of the fortresses where one can draw succour”.

    He said: “It is still the sanctuary where the hopeless receive the ministration of hope. The present global condition, in its acutely disturbing realities, reveals a world in need of dire divine intervention. “It is a world where human efforts in providing relief and peace are increasingly becoming inadequate. The challenge, therefore, for those who bear the light of salvation, is to reach out to the lost. This is one important duty that Islam and Christianity demand of adherents.

    “For instance, the appeal for fund for evangelism is a good opportunity to advance and populate the kingdom of God. Where you physically cannot reach the lost, your money can get there. I encourage us to give generously to his work, believing strongly that your labour of love is not in vain.”

    Aregbesola said the decision to accept the message of salvation is voluntary and personal, adding that people should not be coerced to accept any religion.

    He said: “Neither the Quran nor the Bible encourages the deployment of coercion or violence as a means of evangelising. Killing in the name of religion does not bring glory to God. It is against His command and will never receive His blessings. What God wants us to extend to unbelievers is love and the message of full and free salvation, not bodily harm or death.”

    Aregbesola urged believers to continue to seek the face of God for lasting peace in Nigeria, especially in the North, “where life now appears, short, brutish and nasty”.

    He said: “Nigerians have a duty to work for all that promotes peace and harmonious living. Religion need not be the leading cause of death within our borders. My administration in Osun is fully committed to promoting religious harmony. That is the way to enjoy the dividends of good governance. We thank God that peace subsists and all the antics of detractors to divide the people on religious grounds have failed.”

  • Plight of victims of 2011 post-election violence

    SIR: I am a victim of the post election violence that took place in Kano in 2011.

    I will like to call the attention of the federal government to the need to come to the aid of the victims many of whom lost virtually everything that they had laboured for over the years of hard labour.

    Shortly after the crisis, the federal government sent the director general NEMA, Alhaji  Mohammed Sani Nasidi to Kano, to us at the refugee camp at the Police Headquarters, Bompai Kano, assuring us that the federal government promised to compensate us accordingly. Since then, we have heard nothing from them. Even the governor,  Dr  Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, visited us in the same camp  promising  that on assumption of office, he will ensure that we are duly compensated. Since coming into office, we have tried everything possible to reach him but to no avail. Months later, we were invited to Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano by the Lemu panel sent by the federal government. They took our documents, passport photographs and phone numbers, and yet we have had no response.

    Later NEMA, through the Kano Relief Agency again invited us demanding similar documents to the ones submitted earlier, which we submitted again, yet no response from them and all efforts to contact the committee have proved abortive. Most painful of it all, is that most of the victims are not even enlightened on where to submit their documents due to the manner in which the collection of the documents were conducted.

    It’s been almost three years now and we just learnt that President Goodluck Jonathan  approved the compensation subsequent to which the Vice President Arch. Namadi Sambo later disbursed the funds to the various states. It’s been five months since the approval and disbursements and still we don’t know when and where to be compensated. We tried contacting the Kano Relief Agency again and we were told that they are not responsible for the payments and they don’t know when we will be called upon.

    All we are soliciting the federal government is to please call on all the stakeholders and committees in charge of the disbursements, to please remember that we are living in abject poverty and pains. We want them to remember we have children to cater for and a lot of other responsibilities; most of us are jobless and homeless and our children out of school, we are almost living as beggars in the communities we live in.

    We were attacked, robbed and killed by the enemies of the government which we can call an artificial or a manmade disaster which would have been treated as a critical condition but we have been abandoned. In 2011 and 2012, flood victims were given immediate attention; why is our situation not treated with equal attention to that of the flood victims?

    We urge the President to please come to our rescue; we are dying of starvation and life has been miserable for most of us because we lost everything to that violence that took away so many lives and our hard-earned properties.

    • Raphael I. Ogenyi

    Kano.

  • Police probe violence in Ogun community

    THE Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar, has ordered fresh investigations into the unabated crisis at Orudu in Oyekan Village, Ifo Local Government area of Ogun State.

    The IGP’s order followed a petition by solicitors to Basorun Adebayo Atanda Ajao, owner of the 653 acres of land located in the area.

    The petition, dated June 20 and signed by Shola Lamid from the chambers of Kola Awodein and Co, had indicted eight persons (names withheld) in the area for ‘unlawful possession of firearms, illegal firing of ammunition, threat to life, malicious damage and criminal trespass.’

    The crisis, which was not unconnected with the acquisition of 653 acres of land by Ajao from Orudu Oyekan Family since 1972, was said to be unabated despite various court pronouncements and police intervention.

    The indicted persons, the petition read, were said to have turned the land into a no-go area by unleashing violence and chasing away ‘our clients and staff on site threaten to kill and throw their corpses into river to feed fishes.’

    “The persons have constituted themselves as ‘government within Government’ and have become terrorists to the area as our clients land has become a no-go area through their criminal acts of trespass.”

    Ajao’s lawyers also called the attention of the IG to the fact earlier petition to his office over the criminal activities of the land speculators and his subsequent directives to the I.G Monitoring Unit, Lagos, to ensure peace in the area had yielded no result as the crisis persisted.

    In view of the fresh spate of crisis, it was learnt that the IG ordered the Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, to disband the team of policemen earlier tasked to investigate the matter and inaugurate a fresh team.

  • Lack of knowledge responsible for violence, says Lai Mohammed

    Action Congress of Nigeria’s (ACN’s) National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed has blamed recurrent violence in the society on lack of adequate knowledge about Islam.

    He spoke during the Annual Iftar Saim (Breaking of Fast) organised by Abdoulbaq Ladi Balogun, a lawmaker representing Ajeromi-Ifelodun II constituency at the Lagos State House of Assembly, at the weekend.

    Mohammed said “there is no compulsion in Islam; violence is against the teaching of Islam because Islam is a religion of peace and not of violence.”

    He urged Nigerians to to live in peace, show love and be their brother’s keeper.

    “This is what God expects from every true Muslim. Muslims should be a mirror to the society,” he said.

    Fielding questions from reporters, Balogun said Ramadan is a month every Muslim look up to “because during the period we get spiritual cleansing and it brings us closer to Allah.

    “It is a period we turn away from our sins and do good and live peacefully with fellow human beings, whether Muslims or non-Muslims. It the period we give to one another and care for our fellow beings. It is a period we show love, share and show kindness to everyone around us”, the lawmaker said.

    The Guest Speaker, Mr Abdulahi Adam, decried the lack of peace in the world, saying Allah did not create mankind and Jinnkind for nothing, but to serve Him.

    “God created everybody, animals, trees, among others, for the comfort of mankind and He ordered everybody to worship him wholly. He does not want anything from us, except His worship. He orders us to supplicate to Him wherever we may find ourselves, and fear Him,” he said.

    According to him, Prophet Muhammed lived a simple and exemplary life, urging the gathering to emulate him to excel on earth and hereafter.

    “Islam does not inflict pain on people, rather it brings succour to the depressed and entire mankind. We should not live as if we would not account for what we do while on earth; we are expected to live our lives as if we would not see the next minute”, he said.

    He urged Muslims to strive to impact other peoples’ lives positively.

    “We should always remember the day when everybody will be helpless, that is when we die. It is a day that awaits everyone, whether you are powerful or powerless, both the ruler and the ruled, so we must strive to do good always so that we would be found worthy when that day comes”, Abdulahi said.