Broken home is better than being killed by spouse, says Owoeye

The Speaker, State of Osun House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Timothy Owoeye has called for reorientation towards the idea of broken homes in our society, saying it is better than being killed by one’s spouse.

The Speaker stated this at Wednesday’s plenary while receiving the wife of the governor, Alhaja Kafayat Oyetola, who came on an advocacy visit to the State House of Assembly.

Owoeye who said the era of looking down on people with separated homes must stop, called for the strengthening of counselling mechanism to help guide, nurture marriages and protect victims of domestic and gender based violence and in most extreme cases reabsorb those whose marriages are beyond repair into the society.

He said, “The time is nigh for us to begin to sensitise married couples that a separated home is better than a six feet below home. A marriage that is not working is not working, the idea of looking down on people with separated marriage must stop.

“We must strengthen our counselling mechanism to help nurture marriage and protect victims of domestic and gender based violence’.

“To further break the cycle of such abuses, the Assembly will further review all existing laws and policy instruments relating to offences of rape, child defilement and gender based violence in our dear state”.

The wife of Osun governor, Mrs Oyetola stated that her visit to the Assembly was to seek the support of the House on the issues of rape and sexual violence that has constituted a clear danger to women and girls and the practice of open defecation.

She said, “Although we have the violence against persons prohibition Act 2015 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which has not been domisticated here, I must say that our State is not lacking in the relevant laws required to exterminate conducts such as rape and sexual violence in the state.

“The reality is that we still have the prevalence of this conducts and the incidence is assuming a proportion that treatens our peace and development as a state”.

Oyetola added that rape and sexual violence cases should not be allowed to assume an uncontrollable situation in the state of Osun.