The Imo Women for Peace and Good Leadership Initiative, (IMOWPGLI), has issued a strong warning to the men folks to desist from abusing and disgracing their mothers.
The group made the charge in Owerri Wednesday at their Port Harcourt Road office through their Chairperson, Mrs May Ugwuh while addressing some journalists on the incessant rape cases currently trending in the country.
She raised alarm at the mounting rape cases wondering what has become of our society suddenly even to the extent that parents are now abusing their under aged female children.
In her words, ‘’any time I hear of a rape case I wonder if anyone in his true sense can seek to abuse her own mother the way these things are reported. Every female, child, girl or woman is a potential mother gifted with child bearing. Who will ever think of raping her own mother? Every rape is rape against motherhood’’
Continuing, she stated, ‘’these reflects the depth we have degenerated as a people. We have all failed in the struggle to maintain our morals. How we got to this point beats me and it does not appear that a solution is in sight soon given the manner the cases are spiking up almost on daily bases all over the nation.’’
Ugwuh stated that there is so much responsibility devolving around us all ‘’to stop this nonsense immediately’’. She warned men to cease from further humiliating and abusing women because according to her what they are doing is sacrilegious to our culture and decency.
She explained that it is our weak laws and its implementation that is responsible for this damage done to women and called on the authorities to fashion out a very strong law that will impose heavy punishment on the offenders and deter further commission of the crime.
The food specialist frowned at those pushing blames back to the women for rape cases and stated that nothing can ever justify rape. She mentioned that obtaining any persons item without consent is already a crime not to talk of doing so violently.
On what specific penance she would recommend she left it in the hands of the authorities to handle. Ugwu who has constantly championed the development of women used the occasion to draw attention to what her group is all about.
According to her, ‘’our focus is not just to strive for inclusion of women in governance but also to improve socio-economic opportunities for the girl child, eliminate all forms of abuse and discrimination suffered by them, as well as carry along persons with disabilities and all vulnerable individuals in order to give them a better sense of belonging and improved lifestyle.’’
“Our NGO strives to give hope and scale up a culture of entrepreneurship education among women, young girls and persons with disabilities with livelihood skills, financial education/security, preserve their self-worth and facilitate their economic well-being. We also intend to encourage women, disabled women, and young women mostly at grassroots to attend vocational schools to acquire relevant skills,’’ she narrated further.
