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The humiliating treatment and stripping of a helpless widow by the youths of the Agunese Affam-Mmaku Autonomous Community in the Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State have been strongly denounced by the South East Human Rights Situation Room.
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Cezzatech discovered that the incident happened on Thursday, October 28, 2022, in the neighborhood.
According to a press release issued on Saturday by Blessing Igwe on behalf of the South-East Human Rights Situation Room, the victim is currently being treated in a hospital for injuries sustained as a result of the mental and physical abuse she endured at the hands of misbehaving youths in the neighborhood.
“According to the information we had, the victim had only been collecting snails from a sacred location when the boys and men in that hamlet subjected her to this humiliating treatment while the women looked on and encouraged them. The disgusting conduct was further captured on camera, and the footage was posted online.
“The woman was seen being beaten into a coma, stripped naked, and paraded in the community like a common thief in the trending video that was also published on the South-East Human Rights Situation Room by a member of the forum. The unfortunate widow’s human rights have been violated by this heinous conduct, which is also demeaning and demonic.
The fact that a community in the 21st century could commit this horrible crime against their wife and daughter in the name of culture says a lot about how backwards that group is. It’s interesting to note that this incident is not the first instance of such blatant female defilement occurring in this same town.
The WomenAid Collective (WACOL), a non-governmental organization dedicated to gender justice, previously received and handled a case of a similar nature from the same neighborhood.
The SE Human Rights Situation Room reiterates that any anti-human cultural practice is against natural justice, the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law of Enugu State 2019, and the Widowhood Law of Enugu. It also violates the Federation Republic of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution as amended.
“We also noticed that there has been an increase in the number of revolting acts of male inhumanity toward women that have been reported in our communities, particularly in Igbo land. As a result, the stakeholders must act quickly to stop the trend.
“It is disheartening and condemnable that women in Nigeria, especially in the South-East geopolitical zones, have continued to suffer significant physical, emotional, and psychological abuse as a result of harmful cultural practices, despite high-level advocacy interventions carried out by CSOs in the country to create a gender-friendly environment where women and girls feel safe just like their male counterparts. It’s enough already!
“The Agunese Afam-Mmaku Autonomous community’s traditional ruler and cabinet members should take immediate action to restrain the excesses of their followers in order to stop the recurrence of such injustices against women.
We further request that the State government and the relevant authorities, in particular the Awgu Local Chairman, take all necessary steps to ensure that those responsible for these heinous acts are brought to justice within the bounds of the law.
The WACOL member Igwe continued, “Ndigbo should as a matter of vital urgency stand up in unionism in rejection of damaging cultural traditions, that cause shame to the Igbo race, and continually project them in a negative light before the comity of countries.
“As a group, we sincerely hope that communities and law enforcement authorities will continue to demand greater accountability and take proactive steps to safeguard the underprivileged and other vulnerable people in our society, like the woman in the viral video.
“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), other officers, and men of the Awgu Divisional Police for their prompt action that resulted in the arrest of seven (7) offenders.
As a result, we demand that they be promptly charged with a crime in accordance with the law.
“Furthermore, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to Mr. Vincent Okafor, Esq., for all of his hard work in ensuring that the victim has access to medical care and that the incident has been reported to the police.
In order to guarantee that justice is completely served in this issue, we will therefore continue to cooperate with all parties involved.
“A partnership of like-minded NGOs operating in South East Nigeria makes up the South East Human Rights Situation Room. Our main goal is to uphold the human rights of all zone residents through advocacy, communication, and sensitization.
