In its continued efforts to curtail the trending activities of child sexual abuse in society, the Anambra State Government, through the Ministry of Health, has sensitised community leaders, security agencies, and civil society organisations (CSOs) on the need to take action to tackle the menace in the state.
The State Coordinator, Adolescent Health and Gender Equity (State Ministry of Health), Mrs. Ekeh Evelyn Ngozi, disclosed this during a one-day training workshop on creating sexual safety policies for concerned residents, both indigenes and non-indigenes, in the state.
Mrs Ngozi, during the training workshop organised by the Nigeria COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Project (CorPREP) with the support of the Anambra State Government, the NCDC, and the World Bank, stated that the fight against child sexual abuse was the responsibility of everyone, especially teachers who spent more time with children as well as community leaders, CSOs, and law enforcement agencies.
She stated, “Child sexual abuse has become a menace to society, and the fight involves the collaboration of all relevant stakeholders to be able to stem the tide and achieve justice in the event of its occurrence.”
“It also involves teachers who spend so much time with children, police and other law enforcement agencies, National Drug Law Enforcement (NDLEA), social development, and relevant agencies, hence the need for this training. The training is essential because most stakeholders lack the requisite knowledge to prevent, respond to, or report cases of abuse within their dorms.”
She noted that the purpose of the training was to enlighten all concerned stakeholders in Anambra State on child sexual abuse.
“The importance of this workshop is to enlighten parents, teachers, and stakeholders on how to prevent, respond to, and report cases of child sexual abuse and how to secure justice for survivors and victims in compliance with existing laws,” she stated.
“Sex education protects young people from sexual abuse.
Ngozi, who is also the CoPREP Gender Pillar Lead Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (Ministry of Health Awka), commended the state governor, Chukwuma Soludo, and the CoPREP state coordinator, Dr. Chuma Ememboli, for making the training workshop a huge success.
The Co-Chair/Coordinator, Anambra State Child Rights Law Implementation Committee (ASCRIC), Lovet Uju, on her part, emphasised the need for everyone to be vigilant because abuse could come in different forms and could be contact (fondling and rape where there is penetration) or non-contact sexual abuse (where children are exposed to sexual content).
She charges parents to stop discussing sex-related matters behind closed doors, stressing that the children should also be involved for them to understand why they should wait for a certain age before they can engage in sex.
“So, the workshop is to promote sexual education in the state”, Uju noted.
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