The National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) has decried the increasing rate of divorce in the country.
President of the council in Kwara State, Hajiya Barakat Atunse, stated this at a one-day seminar tagged: “The Impact of Divorce, Broken Homes and Marriages on Youth Development in Nigeria” held, on Thursday, in Ilorin.
“We have to find a way to curb the increasing rate of divorce to preserve the sanctity of marriage and build happier and well-rounded homes,” Atunse said.
She urged women to endeavour to ensure stability in their homes in spite of the challenges to avoid divorce because of its negative impact on children.
Wife of Kwara Governor, Mrs. Omolewa Ahmed, said that children suffered more in divorce.
Mrs. Ahmed, represented by the state’s Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Asiat Saka, said youths from broken homes suffered psychological, emotional and educational challenges, among others.
“Children from broken homes end up disturbed in life; this programme is meant to proffer ways to reduce the menace in our society,” she said.
The governor’s wife advised women on their role in the effort to curb the trend and urged them to be more tolerant and be able to tackle challenges in their marriage.
Hajiya Biliqees Oladimeji, Deputy National President of the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), said divorce was a major threat to national development.
In her paper entitled: “National Development Depends on Peace and Stability”, Oladimeji said, “divorce works against national development because it gives rise to all manner of unrest and insurgencies.
“As preposterous as it sounds, it is the reality today.
“I suggest marriage counseling for all intending couples and establishment of marriage counseling clinics by professional counselors and clerics,” she advised.
Barrister Ronke Adeyemi, a representative of the International Federation of Female Lawyers, noted that there was no marriage immune to problem.
Adeyemi said that failure in marriage was not peculiar to any particular tribe, ethnic group or religion, adding that finance was the main cause of divorce in many marriages.
“Failure in marriage is not peculiar to any particular tribe, ethnic group or religion and it comes in different forms, thus cannot be calculated.
“However, finance plays a significant role in many cases of divorce,” she said.
Adeyemi, therefore, urged women to reduce dependence on their husbands financially and emotionally to avert divorce. (NAN)