The recent incident in Anambra State, made popular through a viral video whereby a woman was paraded naked in the public still beats my imagination. The woman’s husband was reported to have died while having sexual intercourse with her and the deceased’s kinsmen and community members concluded that the wife’s alleged act of adultery was responsible for the death of her husband!
The said woman was severely assaulted while being paraded in public as punishment for alleged offence of adultery which magically killed the husband! This act is condemned in totality and the perpetrators must suffer grave consequences for their act of barbarism, and inexcusable incivility.
I enjoin the Governor of the State, Commissioner of Information, Ministry of Women
Affairs, Traditional rulers, and community and political leaders to immediately embark on mass reorientation activities to sensitize the people against barbaric traditions. The mentality and sanity of people who wallow in abject ignorance and hide under their repugnant beliefs to perpetrate evils and criminalities must be re-evaluated and rehabilitated.
It is a common knowledge that many men both married and unmarried suffer medical challenges that sometimes affect the optimal performance of their sexual organs; hence, the resort by many to self help by indulging in use of sex enhancers or erection boosters without seeking proper medical help to ascertain their possible underlying medical conditions, if any, that may be responsible for the dysfunction. When such underlying condition is left unattended to, indulging in sex enhancers sometimes lead to heart attacks during intercourse. This is however not a supposition or conclusion that the case at hand involved use of sex enhancer.
As we advance in the 21st century, it is imperative that we set aside customs that are repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience. The public ridicule the woman was subjected to could lead to a life time depression. Such act is definitely unacceptable, certainly not in the 21st century, and must therefore be condemned in its entirely.
Beyond the sentisization of the people against barbaric practices, I call on the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State to identify all the perpetrators of this public assault and dehumanisation and ensure they face the wrath of the law.
In the same vein, I call on civil society organisations, FIDA, AWLA and all gender based organisations to rise to the defence of the dignity of this woman whose humanity and fundamental rights have been violently violated.
Ordinarily, in the instant case, an autopsy ought to have been conducted to determine the deceased’s cause of death. Rather than exploit medical causes, the people chose to constitute themselves into jury and judges and consequently pronounced the woman guilty of killing her husband!
It is more disheartening that this senseless act of barbarism occured within the month designated to celebrate womanhood across the globe. Shame on the oppressors of women. All acts of barbarism and gender discrimination must be eradicated in our societies. The perpetrators of this act must be severely punished in accordance with the law. This is the only way to deter reoccurrence of such act of opprobrium.
Adesina Adegbite, FICMC (AA)
