I have heard the phrase many times "Say NO to Domestic Violence"
I have also heard people say "Walk away...don't stay in an abusive relationship"
These are very true statements but looking at Domestic Violence in Nigeria; where The Police does nothing to help you (they actually call it 'family dispute' and tell you to go sort it out at home. The most they do is invite the man/woman for a chat and if he/she chooses not to come, nothing happens)...where the government doesn't step in until it becomes murder.
There has to be another way to handle this...
There is a saying that in Africa, it takes a community to raise a child.
When it comes to Domestic Violence, I think it's about time the community started getting involved
I had a friend that used to beat his girlfriend back in the University...we lived in the same hostel. One day we decided it was enough and we gave the guy the beating of his life. That was the end of Domestic Violence in that relationship.
If you hear your neighbor screaming for help...do something about it. Don't shut your doors and windows...don't wait till the next morning to find out what happened...it may be too late.
If you know a victim of domestic abuse, let the sane men in that community step in and 'tame' the beast
Don't wait until you see the lifeless body of your neighbor on Social Media before you say something.
Let families step in, don't wait until your brother/sister/cousin is killed before it becomes a war...do something while the abused is still alive.
Make the law makers enact a national law against Domestic Violence that will give the victims access to Police protection and intervention. Let the abuser be handled like the criminal he/she is.
A Domestic Abuser is a potential murderer. We needn't wait until he/she completes the transformation
And for those experiencing abuse at the moment, it may sound cliché but I will say it again, NO MARRIAGE IS WORTH YOUR LIFE. You have seen examples of victims that stuck around and what happened afterwards.
This madness really has to stop and it starts from us...let's do more than social media empathy. The next time you see a victim, PLEASE do something about
© 2016 Lanre Olagbaju All Rights Reserved
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