Nigeria uses Bible to block bill criminalizing violence against women

'The rejection means it is okay to kidnap our girls, rape them, use them as sex slaves, marry them as minors, and deny them their right to joyful childhood and education.'

On March 15, the Nigerian Senate voted against a bill that would have made violence against women and girls a criminal act - for the third time.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) -  The Gender Parity and Prohibition of Violence Against Women bill was thrown out after the majority of the Nigerian Senate voted against it.

Of those who opposed the bill, several quoted the Bible while others stated the bill is a defiance to sharia law, which Nigeria recognizes in its constitution as it is home to a large population of Muslims.

According to Christian Headlines, Ali Ndume, the Nigeria Senate's majority leader, claimed the bill compromised religious and traditional marriages.

Senator Emmanuel Bwacha cited the Bible, claiming Christianity doesn't give women complete freedom, while Senator Sani Yerima claimed the bill was a violation against sharia law.

Funmi Para-Mallam, a professor of gender and development studies at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies in Nigeria, explained, "This is using religion as a slope slide to promote social injustice. The opposition by these senators is a direct violation of Nigeria's constitution, because the Nigerian constitution guarantees all persons in Nigeria protection from discrimination on the grounds of sex."

The bill, which held the potential to bring Nigeria one step closer to gender equality, focused not only on the prohibition of violence against women, but also the elimination of discrimination against them.

"Widows shall not be subjected to inhuman, humiliating, or degrading treatment," the bill described. A widow shall automatically become the guardian and custodian of her children after the death of her husband, unless this is contrary to the interests and welfare of the children."

Para-Mallam added that by rejecting the bill, the Nigerian Senate defied the 2006 National Gender Policy, which promotes the rights and welfare of Nigerian women and children.

One legal practitioner, Nkechi Odinukwu, told the News Agency of Nigeria: "The rejection means it is okay to kidnap our girls, rape them, use them as sex slaves, marry them as minors, and deny them their right to joyful childhood and education."

Bukola Saraki, Nigeria's Senate president, responded by saying the bill could be edited and proposed for a fourth time.

In a written statement dripping with corruption, Saraki wrote: "The beauty of democracy is that it gives us the opportunity to consider different opinions and the bill can still be represented and reconsidered on the floor of the Senate."

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