Child Sexual Abuse

UNICEF report in 2015 has it that, 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 10 boys in Nigeria had experienced sexual violence before the age of 18.

The depicted figure is likely to deeply concern any responsible parent or guardian, prompting them to maintain a vigilant and attentive stance regarding their children’s safety. In fact, it is the duty of all adults to remain sensitive to the well-being and, importantly, the sexuality of the children under their care. This vigilance is crucial for safeguarding children from potential harm, particularly in cases where the adult responsible for their care may have malicious intentions.

In the course of my four-year tenure and still counting as a volunteer with a Non-Governmental Organization (I am Voices), I have been exposed to information and data related to Child Sexual Abuse. Furthermore, I have had direct encounters with real-life victims of this harrowing issue.

During my extensive experience conducting workshops and outreach programs in various elementary and secondary schools, I’ve consistently encountered new and distressing stories that underscore the alarming statistics provided by UNICEF. These stories include instances as young as a 3-year-old engaging in inappropriate behavior with a 4-year-old classmate, as well as more tragic cases like the abuse suffered by two sisters aged 8 and 10 at the hands of their 22-year-old paternal uncle. Shockingly, in some cases, caregivers, like the mother in one instance, claim ignorance.

The additional stories I’ve encountered are profoundly distressing, emphasizing the critical importance of ongoing awareness, education, and action to combat child sexual abuse. These cases include a 13-year-old victimized by a member of the church’s clergy, leading to a tragic feticide, as well as the abuse of a 9-year-old niece by an adult relative. These stories are deeply unsettling and serve as a stark reminder of the widespread nature of this issue.

To many of these stories however, I have always wondered how such an abhor would be ongoing right under the care of a reasonable adult, yet they remain in oblivion. How?

So I ask, what are we ‘adulting’ if keeping a serious watch on our tots is not one of them? Because realistically however, adults have a huge role to play, not when these perverts are everywhere robbed as clergies, classroom teachers, family members, domestic staffs, neighbors, etc.

There are times I even exit sensitization workshops all teary, right after listening to stories of kid survivors. And I cannot even watch the many obscene videos of adults having carnal knowledge of babies that I regularly receive from my contacts.

It is also important to know that, kids are exposed to sexual contents daily. This is usually where they pick-up not a few bad sexual habits from. And at other-times, making out in the presence of our little ones with an assumption that they are asleep, to watching x-rated movies with explicit sexual contents with kids around are some of the ‘wrong’ we really need to ‘right’.

Indeterminately, watch out for the signs of abuse on all kids directly in your care or not, and be quick to raise alarm if you suspect a thing.

And then, perpetrators of child sexual abuse are out there committing heinous crime steadily uncaught and unrepentant, reiterating the need to keep watch.

However, sexual education is key and it is pertinent that kids are aware of the consequences of every sexual activity. Do not leave kids wanting for more and craving to experiment with sex, this they do when the information they have on a sexual content is half baked. But when they are guided through with a thorough explanation, they can then ask the necessary questions and be properly lectured.

Not to forget that, most perpetrators of child sexual molestation roams unpunished because the stories are not told by victims until adulthood. And the general perception is that, the adults around kid survivors are mostly inattentive, because honestly, we owe these kids a responsibility of care and protection.

Behold, every human with questionable trait around your child is a suspect, and their acts should not be taken for granted. The mind is hollow and sometimes cannot be trusted.

And in the event of a Child Sexual Abuse, justice should be served. Nothing beats getting closure and justice is one of what brings this about.

And with the recent indictment of popular R and B Musician, R-Kelly over his involvement in Child Sexual cases in the last decades, the time to stay alert on the activities of our kids is now.

So say NO to Child Sexual Abuse.