Legal luminary decries high rate of violence against women

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

A female magistrate in Bauchi state, Safiya Musa has decried the high rate of violence perpetrated against women and children, just as she blamed the society for tolerating the act.
Safiya, stated this while speaking as a Guest Speaker
at an interactive session to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, organized by the Bauchi state chapter of National Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, held at the Nigerian Union of Journalist, NUJ Press centre in Bauchi,weekend
Chief Magistrate Musa on her topic Violence Against Women in Society, said that violence against women was a historical manifestation of unequal power between a man and woman which has been in existence from time immemorial.
“Wherever we find ourselves, we see various forms of violence against women and children. Each woman or girl child has been affected in one form of sexual harassment or the other. It has happened to either you, your sister or your neighbour.We are all affected in one way or the other”
“It is very unfortunate that violence against women is condoned by the society. It is sad that our men who are suppose to be protecting women are not their sister’s keepers,” She said
Safiya urged the media to join global voices in the world and Stepup reports that advance the rights of women and children instead of downplaying the matter.
In her address, the Bauchi leader in charge of women committee, Nigerian Labour Congress, Comrade Rukaiya Balan Mallam said that lack of education on violence against women was responsible for why women do not speak out whenever thier rights are violated.
She called on security agents to avoid delaying prosecution of perpetrators of violence against women and ensure that justice is melted out on offenders to serve as a deterrent to others.
Speaking Earlier, the Chairperson of NAWOJ, Bauchi State Chapter, Bulak Afsa observed that issues of impunity in the perpetration of violence against women and girls had continued unchallenged in the society and called women journalists in the state to continue to bring matters concerning violence against women to the front burner of national issues.