Centre launched to build healthy, violence-free marriages

The Centre for Marital Affairs (CMA), a non-profit, non-denominational organization, established to help marriages remain healthy and assist singles get it right, has held its first public engagement meeting at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) auditorium where answers were provided to frequently asked questions in marriage.

According to the convener and chief visionary of the centre, Prof. Chris Onalo, marriages today are facing severe challenges, which is characterized by increasing spate of domestic violence, infidelity and divorce.

“While many marriages have gone into extinction, others are simply suffering and smiling. And we discover that if the home-front is not solid, it may sadly result in poor upbringing of children, which poses a huge threat to the future of the family, marriage institution and the world at large because the family is the bedrock of every nation. This is why CMA is established to restore the joy, peace and blissfulness of marriage by guiding young and intending couples through the rudiments of marriage institution with the help of experienced counselors,” he said.

Onalo listed the 10-point mandate of the CMA to include: Giving counseling to couples before and during marriage, mentoring singles on do’s and don’t’s of marriage, helping in improving the overall strength of a couple’s relationship, helping couples understand the institution of marriage and its attendant challenges and influencing policies which may positively affect family and marriage.

Others are: Raising public awareness against brutalities in marriages, abuse of marriage and policies likely to negate the sanctity of marriage, raising material and financial support for marriages in distress, and coaching couples on their responsibilities in matters relating to children upbringing.

The CMA programme coordinator, Angela Odumosu, said “the centre is waking up to the rude reality that abuses, insults, neglects and abandonments have become the order of the day in many love relationships and marriages and we intend to stem the tide of heart-rending stories of bitter marital experiences through our several interventions like our monthly meeting of husbands, wives and singles and the establishment of a marital academy.”