‘You Cannot Beat A Woman In The Name Of Culture’: Emir Sanusi Condemns Domestic Abuse

The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, says “culture” does not justify abuse against women and wants stiffer action against perpetrators.

Sanusi made this call on Wednesday, during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief. He argued that human rights can not be violated in the name of culture.

“We need to first of all see that as a country we have citizens and human beings, and they have rights. Those rights are inviolable. You cannot violate them in the name of a culture. You cannot beat a woman because your culture says you can beat her,” Sanusi, a former governor of the Central Bank, said.

“She is a Nigerian citizen entitled to protection; it doesn’t matter what you think because these are the values that we live by in this time.”

The Emir said, “Men having power and women are not protected, this makes men take advantage of that power, and in our society, the weak and the vulnerable are victims.

“Women who are victims of violence, young children, the poor, and the disabled. If you go to the hospital, you will find crippled women, blind women who are victims, and also the pediatric section abuse”.

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According to him, gender based violence happens in all societies, but stiffer measures can help tame it.

“It’s not about African Culture, it’s about power relations,” he said.

During the programme, Emir Sanusi made a case for the education of children, asking the government to map out policies to address the rising number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.

He argued that “every child is entitled to a basic education right. If you take a child out of school, you are supposed to commit an offense.

“How many people have ever been arrested for taking children out of school? You know why, because the government has not provided the schools,” he explained

On child-marriage, he said, “You go to a village in some part of the north, and there is a primary school, and that is it.

“So the girl finishes school at eleven, between eleven and eighteen, what arrangement have you made for her? There is no secondary school, skilled center, or provision for her life.

“The poor man [father] basically finds that she is twelve, thirteen, and scared she will get pregnant on the road, and the next young man that comes, he marries her off.

“So you have got to understand that sometimes, these cultures basically reflect poverty. It’s not about supply for education; let’s build the schools.

“Let’s make sure we have primary and secondary schools with teachers, and then let’s see if people do not take their children to school. For me, it’s very easy to blame culture and be a victim,” the Emir added.