In a bid to eradicate violence against girl child in the country, the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, Edo state chapter, organized a roundtable talk yesterday. The event tagged “Eliminating Violence Against the Girl Child,” held at the NUJ Press Centre, Benin City.
Flora Bossey, Chairman, Edo State NAWOJ, said apart from marking the "World Girl Child day,” the aim of the roundtable talk was to enable NAWOJ create awareness on the need to drastically reduce violence against the girl child if not totally eradicated.
Ronke Ojekere, an advocate against sexually abuse of women, said though child defilement is not permitted in the African culture but that people keep quite over it thereby, making the offenders to go scoff free. She observed that those that commonly engage in the act of abusing children sexually are very close relatives and as such mothers should be very careful with the people that they leave their children with.
She appealed to parents to teach the children all their body parts and make sure that they follow them up personally instead of allowing them to learn from peer group. Ojekere who appealed to parents to teach their children not to accept gifts from anybody also noted that the male children should not be neglected as they are usually molested as well.
On her part, Abibat Oyeghe Oyarekhua, Head of Station, AIT, Edo State, said the issue of violence against the girl child has been with us for a long time. She cited the case of a grandfather that raped his grandchild saying based on this nobody should be trusted when it comes to taking care of a girl child. “Do not hide anything from your girl child, mind the kind of friend that your daughter keeps and keep a watchful eyes on your child, she said.
Wilson Imongan, a medical doctor, observed that one out of three children suffer violence. He identified female circumstion as one of the violence against the girl child adding that a girl child need to be educated and empowered for her to succeed in life. “If a girl child is not educated, she becomes a nuisance and people take advantage of her situation besides, empowering a girl child, means empowering your family because she is able to cover up in various places where others are ignorant,” he said.
While commending the Edo State NAWOJ for “a very well thought out program,” Godwin Erhahon, Chairman, All Progressive Congress, Edo State, advised girls to avoid certain antics that might lead to danger. According to him, “girls should avoid moving on a lonely path, avoid any male child that want to move or touch you anyhow and avoid watching pornographic films because people can take advantage of those
lapses.”
Julie Ekiuwa Umuerri, Director of Orientation, Ministry of Information, Edo State, attributed the violence against the girl child to carelessness on the part of parents. “Some parents run after money to the detriment of their children. As a girl, do not trust people around you with your body, be careful with the friends, neighbours and the strangers that you meet,” she said.
She expressed gratitude to NAWOJ for their effort and urged them to continue in the awareness campaign on the violence against the girl child.
Oghenetega Awaritoma, a legal practitioner, said keeping quite over violence against the girl child would not help matters but rather worsen it. She advised that whenever there is a case of violence against the girl child, the case should be reported to the police immediately.
Similarly, Loveth Osagiede, a legal practitioner and member of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, said there are laws enacted
to prosecute the case of defilement. “FIDA do not allow the settlement of rape cases out of court because it is a serious matter,” she said.
Flora Bossey, Chairman, Edo State NAWOJ, said apart from marking the "World Girl Child day,” the aim of the roundtable talk was to enable NAWOJ create awareness on the need to drastically reduce violence against the girl child if not totally eradicated.
Ronke Ojekere, an advocate against sexually abuse of women, said though child defilement is not permitted in the African culture but that people keep quite over it thereby, making the offenders to go scoff free. She observed that those that commonly engage in the act of abusing children sexually are very close relatives and as such mothers should be very careful with the people that they leave their children with.
She appealed to parents to teach the children all their body parts and make sure that they follow them up personally instead of allowing them to learn from peer group. Ojekere who appealed to parents to teach their children not to accept gifts from anybody also noted that the male children should not be neglected as they are usually molested as well.
On her part, Abibat Oyeghe Oyarekhua, Head of Station, AIT, Edo State, said the issue of violence against the girl child has been with us for a long time. She cited the case of a grandfather that raped his grandchild saying based on this nobody should be trusted when it comes to taking care of a girl child. “Do not hide anything from your girl child, mind the kind of friend that your daughter keeps and keep a watchful eyes on your child, she said.
Wilson Imongan, a medical doctor, observed that one out of three children suffer violence. He identified female circumstion as one of the violence against the girl child adding that a girl child need to be educated and empowered for her to succeed in life. “If a girl child is not educated, she becomes a nuisance and people take advantage of her situation besides, empowering a girl child, means empowering your family because she is able to cover up in various places where others are ignorant,” he said.
While commending the Edo State NAWOJ for “a very well thought out program,” Godwin Erhahon, Chairman, All Progressive Congress, Edo State, advised girls to avoid certain antics that might lead to danger. According to him, “girls should avoid moving on a lonely path, avoid any male child that want to move or touch you anyhow and avoid watching pornographic films because people can take advantage of those
lapses.”
Julie Ekiuwa Umuerri, Director of Orientation, Ministry of Information, Edo State, attributed the violence against the girl child to carelessness on the part of parents. “Some parents run after money to the detriment of their children. As a girl, do not trust people around you with your body, be careful with the friends, neighbours and the strangers that you meet,” she said.
She expressed gratitude to NAWOJ for their effort and urged them to continue in the awareness campaign on the violence against the girl child.
Oghenetega Awaritoma, a legal practitioner, said keeping quite over violence against the girl child would not help matters but rather worsen it. She advised that whenever there is a case of violence against the girl child, the case should be reported to the police immediately.
Similarly, Loveth Osagiede, a legal practitioner and member of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, said there are laws enacted
to prosecute the case of defilement. “FIDA do not allow the settlement of rape cases out of court because it is a serious matter,” she said.
No comments:
Post a Comment