PASS THE INTERNATIONAL VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT AND CURE THIS WORLD OF ITS SICKNESS

Our dear President Obama,

It is indeed my pleasure to have the opportunity to let you know that Violence Against Women is a SIN Against Humanity and every human being that holds God in high esteem should do everything in his capacity to put a stop to it.

The former World Bank president, James Wolfensohn once commented that “empowerment of women is the secret weapon of the development in Africa. The problem is you (men) beat them up. Gender violence has got to stop.” The implication of this is that the major cause of African underdevelopment is traceable to disrespect for, enslavement, oppression, and disempowerment of women. This is what is happenning to Nigeria, the giant of Africa that is 50 years but still crawling.The reason for this snail moving development is not far from the fact that Violence Against women continue to be on the increase in the country.

Mr president Sir, there is a popular saying that "seen is believing" Therefore i am not going tell you with the word of my mouth alone of several examples of different kinds of Violence Against Women that has been recorded in Nigeria recently but i am also going to show you some of the evidences of this sinful act. Let me start sir from a first class king in Nigeria who recently threw caution into the wind when he went to his in-law's house with some hoodlums, brought out his former wife beat her mercilessly and also pour acid on her. his reason was because the woman went away with the car he bought her when she was with him and he wanted the car back. The cause of their quarell was that the king decided to marry the closest friend of the wife and he think that the woman has no right to complain about this.

In November 21 this year, Punch Newspaper reported the case of a woman who was attacked by two men, raped, killed and her two hand was cut and carried away. When the men was arrested, they confessed that they were paid 15,000 naira which is $100 to kill the woman because the man who sent them wanted to use a woman's hand for ritual.

Adijat, a market woman was beating by her in-laws, called a witch pushed out of her husband's house because she could not have a child. 2 years later, she got married to another man and later bore him 3 children whereas Adijat's former husband till today is still battling with infertility with his new wife. Funmi a civil servant received regular beatings from her husband and in-laws for 10 years. She was able to find out this year after her husband was forced to go for test that the husband was having zero sperm count which was the cause of their infertility all those years. This woman in one of the pictures attached here with blood all over her was beating to this level because people believe she is a witch.

In Obafemi Awolowo university where i am working as a Guidance Counsellor, we receive report of Rape, Attempted rape at least 2 times monthly. The last one was a boy just admitted for Diploma in the university attempted to rape a part three student of the university. Unequal relation of power which makes rapist get away with the crime is so much in this country that something needs to be done urgently. Many men also exploit the patriarchy and gerontocracy nature of our culture to perpetrate this sinful act. Women voices are becoming so low because courage have been beating out of them.

Women are created with inner strentgth to play an important role in the plan of God for His world. When women are put in their rightful position beside their men, they would be able to perform these roles beautifully and the world will become a beautiful place.

Therefore our dear president Obama, Vice president Biden, Our wonderful sister Hilary Clinton, the secretary of state and US Senators,Women in Nigeria are pleading with you to pass the International Violence Against Women Act. We believe that you are committed leaders, wonderful sons and daughters, loving husbands and wives and caring fathers and mothers. Thank you as you do this, God would bless you and History will not forget you.

Yours Sincerely
Busayo Obisakin
Women Inspiration Center,
Ile-Ife
Nigeria

Please join the PulseWire community in speaking out against violence and urging the U.S. government to pass the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA). Write your letter in your PulseWire journal to share your personal and observed experience in gender-based violence, both in your life and within your community. Tag your journal "IVAWA", and World Pulse will send your letter directly to President Obama, along with letters from women around the world. Learn more: http://www.worldpulse.com/pulsewire/programs/international-violence-agai...