Worried by the high rate of sexual assault and abuse in Nigeria, particularly among children and women, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), the Lisa Demi Project (LDP), has called on relevant authorities in the country, to urgently take action against the menace.
Besides raising the alarm over the dastardly act, the NGO described the increasing cases of sexual abuse and assault in the country in recent times as worrisome and totally unacceptable.
The initiator of the project, Demilade Yusuf, who made the call on Wednesday in Lagos during a press briefing, said her organisation had orgnised a one-day programme titled, “Let’s Talk About Our Sexual Health’’, to further tackle the problem.
She stated that the programme would be held on Thursday (today) December 14,2017, at the Molade Okoya Indoor Sports Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium,Surulere, Lagos.
Yusuf said Lisa Demi Project seeks to get the attention of the public to address the challenge and other sexual health issues through talks, counselling, entertainment, among others.
Recent study by the National Population Commission, with support from UNICEF and the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention on ‘Nigeria Violence Against Children’ revealed that approximately six out of every 10 Nigerian children under the age of 18 years, experience some form of physical, emotional and sexual violence before the age of 18 years.
According to her, the programme would be used to sensitise the public on the rising number of young people on drugs and the emotional torture attached to rape.
She explained: “A critical aspect of our lives in this present day is the alarming rate and figure of rape and other sexual victims in the society. It calls for urgent action.
“More disturbing, however, is the behaviour of the victims, the perpetrators and the society; there is no doubt, a great need to tackle these menaces to secure the future.”
She went on: “According to the former Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Fatai Owoseni, alarming statistics have revealed that a total of 162 rape cases were recorded in Lagos State in 2016’’.
“The above cases as it were are those that were recorded because we all know the stigmatisation that is attached to rape in this part of the world”
Yusuf said the major factor militating against the campaign against the dastardly act of sexual abuses was inadequate public awareness and sensitisation which she sought to address.
Her words: “Across Africa, sexuality is one area of our daily life that is shrouded in more mystery than necessary in modern times.
“What would this have done in the face of social media networks we have today with the ever improving information communications network platforms? “Most children, teenagers and youths are often exposed to the issues of sexuality by wrong medium, of course, with damming and life threatening consequences.
“The major detrimental fallout of this shortfall is an increase in poor sexual health, a sign post by the stunning statistics of sexually unhealthy people with increasing Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)”.
Yusuf noted that though she did not have a personal experience of sexual abuse, she was moved by the fact that there was an increasing rate.
“I personally don’t have such experience but I am miffed by the alarming rate of the abuse prevalent in the society today, I think it must be checked”, she stated.
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