HOW SOME NIGERIAN PARENTS AID SEXUAL ABUSE IN CHILDREN

Nkem Ijeh, an official of Stop Sexual Abuse Now, a non-governmental organisation, has said that the attitude of some parents is responsible for the prevalence of sexual abuse in the country, Punch Metro reports.  

According to her, some parents coerce their children into silence because of socio-economic reasons.  

She said this recently during the ninth edition of the annual Career Guidance and Counselling  seminar organised by the Goge Africa Foundation.  

More than 3,000 pupils from public and private schools in Lagos State attended the programme themed, Youths Against Violence.   She said, “Some parents even threaten their children not to speak out after being harassed all because the person who committed the crime is the bread winner of the family.

They are scared of taking up financial responsibilities. Some children are even harassed by their teachers, but they are too scared to speak out because they are afraid that no one would believe their story. Do not be afraid to seek help because delay can be dangerous.”  

In his address, the GAF President, Isaac Moses, said that his profession as a media entrepreneur had exposed him to the challenges facing African youths.  

“This programme is our way of giving back to the society. We run a television show that takes us to different part of Africa. In the course of doing this, we saw the kind of challenges that exists within Africa and we realised that we have to move with the times, otherwise​ we would be left behind. We have discovered that it is not all about what you have but what you know.”