Voice of Widows Association in Nigeria [VOWAN] has advocated for stiffer penalties that will discourage men from divorcing their wives at will.
President of the association, Hajiya Atine Abdullahi made the call in Kano, yesterday, at a lecture organised by the association to sensitise female students on how to face the challenges of marriage in future.
She said, “Authorities should make the process of divorce much difficult than the process of contracting marriage, if the problem of rampant divorce is to be addressed in the society”, she said.
Hajiya Atine said that in Kano there are a lot of divorced women and widows that are left to cater for themselves but said the association had been fighting to defend their interest.
She said that widows, divorcees and children are vulnerable and added that, “divorce is much easier than contracting a marriage in our society that is why men divorce and change women at will without understanding the repercussion of their actions on the community”.
“We want divorce cases to be minimal in our society that is why we invited experts to talk to the young girls on how to live as wives and keep a happy home when they eventually get married”, she said.?
Earlier, the Guest Speaker at the event, Ustaz Kidr Abdulmumin said that people should take the issue of marriage seriously and respect the rules laid down by God.
He said that marriage was a social contract that must be respected but some men had failed to understand its relevance and importance, due to ignorance.
A female contributor at the occasion, Malama Fatima said that women should brace up to the challenges of? keeping? their homes. “You should learn how to respect your husband, be obedient to him and do things that will keep his interest tick and eventually keep him at home”.
In his remarks, Dr. Mustafa Ismail of Bayero University Kano said that the concept of alimony should be introduced to make men? feel responsible for their former wives and children after divorce.