Stop Protecting Paedophile Husbands Or Be Punished – FG Tells Women

The Federal Government has warned women who protect husbands who molest their children to desist or face negligence charges.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, who gave the warning, stressed that the government would no longer tolerate mothers whose children have been molested.

The minister said though some wives may not want their husbands to be punished, the government’s interest was in the protection of the child.

Kennedy-Ohanenye spoke in Abuja at a one-day awareness creation programme on: Using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to Address Gender-Based Violence (GBV), organised by the Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development.

The minister said her ministry was planning the establishment of mobile courts to be established across the country to fight cases of GBV.

She added: “Now, we can fight for the establishment of mobile courts to help fight GBV. The President is supporting it. Women should not take advantage of this establishment to start causing trouble or maltreating our men but give peace a chance.

“As women, we also say no to violence and no to molestation. For instance, not only would men who molest their children be taken to court, but the mothers would also be charged for negligence.

“We would no longer tolerate mothers whose children have been molested, saying they don’t want their husbands to be taken to court, because our interest is in the child.

“We want to work towards women being well empowered; no more handouts. Why things have not been working in this country is because they kept us aside. The President is a ‘he for she’. So, we are going to capitalise on it and achieve what we want so that women can come on board. “So, now, we have to start encouraging our girls to go into anything they want to do.”