Anambra sets up court to try domestic violence

Charles Soludo

Anambra has created a family court to checkmate violence against women and against the girl child.

“Women fight against fellow women and even partner with men to perpetrate the evil for material gains.

“Since my assumption of office, I have received more than 100 cases of violence against women perpetrated by fellow women,’’ Commissioner for Women Affairs and Children Development, Mrs Ify Obinabo, said on Saturday in Awka.
She said the court had handled about 40 cases since its creation two months ago.

The cases were some of the 85 cases of family violence received by the ministry, she added.

“We take reported cases of violence to this court to achieve the right attitude in the state and to ensure fair treatment of all.

She stressed that women needed to be spoken to not to be party to the abuse of fellow women for whatever reason.

Obinabo was addressing a stakeholders’ conference organised to change norms and practices that promote violence against women and girls.

She explained that the court was established to facilitate quick prosecution of violent crimes against women and the girl child ranging from rape to wife battery, among others.

She called for sensitisation of women to avoid family violence in various degrees as many women died unavoidable deaths due to lack of knowledge.

She commended Women Aid Collective, an NGO, which organised the workshop with support from Ford Foundation.

Obinabo charged women to report any form of abuse, verbal, emotional or physical to the ministry for proper attention.