Mrs Flora Asan and her husband have been living together for the past six years. It was all sunshine and roses in the beginning, but it suddenly changed when her husband started to abuse her by getting violent and calling her bad names.
He refuses to leave and bursts into violent rages when she tries to break up with him. With the current news on wives being killed by their husbands, she is scared that it might happen to her and wants to know how she can avoid it.
WHAT IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE??
Domestic violence is where one person is being harmed by another person while they are in a domestic relationship (for example, a couple dating each other, a married couple or family members).
WHAT ARE FORMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE??
There are various forms of domestic violence and include, among other things, physical abuse (for example, being punched or kicked) or emotional abuse (for example, being insulted or humiliated).
There is a duty on the police to assist domestic violence victims, for example, they must: give advice and explain the different options available; provide the victim with counselling, shelter and medical attention; investigate the complaint and collect any evidence in the matter, such as medical records, witness statements and so on;
arrest the person who harmed the victim if there is a reason to believe that an act of violence has been committed;
seize any dangerous weapons and firearms; if criminal charges are going to be laid, open a police docket; and/or go with the victim to the house to collect personal belongings, for example, if it is indicated in a protection order.
THE INVALUABLE IMPORTANCE
The domestic protection law much to my bewilderment has some states in Nigeria which reluctantly inducted them into their local laws. This particular law is novel in all purposes and intent as it a sine qua non to national development, progress and a antenna towards the clamour and ultimate desire for public peace at respective places of residence. The domestic protection law cannot be downplayed or deemed superfluous any where as excerpts below from the gamut of this intriguing law echos and reverberates its importance as a democratic tool for reorienting, resetting and being a essential catalyst for social engineering and family systems restructuring; this novel laws clearly states the type of domestic violence the actions that the victim wants the offender to stop doing to her; the address that the offender is prevented from entering, for example, offender’s home and/or work address; if the offender owns a dangerous weapon or firearm, a clear description if it to enable the police to identify and remove it; and/or whether the victim will require any emergency monetary relief from the offender.
CONCLUSION AND GRIM PERSPECTIVE
On a tone of finality, it is sacrosanct that all hands should be on deck irrespective of our distinct perceptions and backgrounds as a threat to human safety, life and dignity is a affront and odium to humanity itself and every human categorically. We should not fold our arms akimbo and watch while the nearby house maid heavily maltreated and neither should we look haplessly while a person calls his brother or sister to beat up his/her partner.Such vilification, hounding as well as haranguing innocent individuals in name of “staying together” should not be tolerated.All well meaning citizens of Nigeria and the public at large should make concerted and combined efforts to ensure that poor dependants and victims of domestic violence get their remedies in court against egregious and ill malevolent persons.we should all bear in mind that the gross failure and reckless”I don’t care attitude ” on our parts to do what is necessary to safeguard victims from constant domestic violence can be a deadly mistake as it may create a future ugly scenario and disaster which might haunt those in the vicious cycle of vindictiveness. Let’s all herald this call to ensure we enforce and ensure that those people around us are free from the negative masters that oppress them with impunity. Let’s all remember we have that moral duty and essence to ensure peace in the society. If unfortunate individuals are exposed at early ages to incessant brutal trauma, violence and unimaginable pains, we will only bringing a sad recrudescence of a dirty evil future for them, and unknowingly metamorphosing hardened monsters back into the society.
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