Hardship major cause of domestic violence in Nigeria — Soludo’s wife

Anambra First Lady, Mrs Nonye Soludo, has said that the high level of violence in most homes is fueled by hardship.

She, however, said that families can overcome such traumatic experiences by having mutual respect for each other and also training their children on the need to imbibe such.

Mrs Soludo who was speaking at the Anambra Women’s Health Summit to commemorate this year’s women’s August meeting also spoke on the need for exclusive breastfeeding among women and the need to present their children for immunization against various diseases.

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Speaking to participants, Mrs Soludo said: “I think the level of violence in homes today is fuelled by hardship. Gender based violence is not just about men beating their wives, but some women beat men too. It could be through the way you talk to your husband.

“There is hardship in the land we all know, men and women are feeling it equally, but I want to advise you to talk less, respect your husbands, and carry yourself well before them. The way you talk carelessly can lead a hot-tempered man to hit you. So you must know when to talk.

“Look for a way to settle with your husband long after you have issues, and not at the very height of an argument. Women are smart, even though the man is the head, but the woman is the neck. You control the head and direct where it looks, but you must do it in a way that the head will not feel you are becoming overbearing, if not that can lead to trouble.”

Speaking about breastfeeding and immunisation, she said: “Breastfeeding is the greatest gift you can ever give your child. Grandmothers must also let their daughters do this. You have enough breast milk, you have like 80 percent water in your body, so grandmothers should not say that I pity my daughter because she is always breastfeeding, let her do it for the betterment of the child.

“Let me tell you, the natural breast milk provided by God is better than the animal milk you buy that is processed with things you do not know about.

“If you breastfeed your child exclusively, you will see that he will be alert, disease-free and very healthy. That yellow breast milk that comes out after childbirth is very important, that is what will help your child’s growth, immunity and you must prioritise it.

“Again, immunisation is a discovery that is meant to help your children, you should not keep your children away from them. The measles and Rubella disease vaccine is here, you must bring out your children from nine to 14 years for immunisation”.

This year’s women’s health summit would be the third since Prof Chukwuma Soludo became governor in Anambra State. His wife the convener of the summit and founder of Healthy Living with Nonye Soludo told the women that the state government prioritizes their health, reason she preaches a healthy diet, regular exercise, and cultivation of family gardens.

Earlier, various health experts took time to tutor the women on various topics. They included; women’s sexual and reproductive lives, measles and rubella disease immunisation, women’s participation in politics, and polio disease among others.

Dr Winifred Uzoamaka Onodu, Measles and Rubella Diseases Programmes Officer for UNICEF and WHO in Anambra State in her teaching disclosed that Anambra had a high rate of measles and rubella cases, urging maximum participation in the forthcoming vaccination exercise.