Sexual Abuse: Ekiti First Lady Urges Parents to Protect Children during Holiday
First Lady of Ekiti State, Dr. Olayemi Oyebanji, has urged parents to do everything possible to protect their children who are presently on holidays, to prevent them from falling victims to sexual abuse.
Oyebanji, who noted that child abuse, especially sexual violations of minors, is very common during holidays, and urged parents not to allow their kids to go on holidays in places they can’t vouch for their safety.
She made the remark in Ado Ekiti yesterday during training for male teachers on the ‘Prohibition of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Public Secondary Schools’, which was held under the aegis of the Adolescent Girls’ Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project. The governor’s wife, who stated that child abuse and sexual violation of minors is usually perpetrated by close relations like uncles and neighbours, charged parents and caregivers to be vigilant during holidays to save their children from abuse.
Oyebanji also counselled teachers in public schools to be calm and not allow the difficult economic situation of the country to make them aggressive towards students in their care, expressing optimism that things will get better very soon.
She pleaded with teachers to be more understanding and empathic, and not allow emotion to drive them to the point of mishandling and visiting anger on the students in their care.
The first lady explained that education is pivotal to the success of the state government’s human capital development leg of the five pillars agenda of the Governor Biodun Oyebanji administration which has necessitated the capacity building for the teachers.
Speaking earlier, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Science and Technology, Dr. Kofoworola Aderiye, said male teachers are important stakeholders in preventing GBV owing to their influence as fathers, husbands and mentors to students.
The Special Adviser, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in her ministry, Dr. Folakemi Olomojobi, said the time has come to change the narrative on GBV and carry everyone along to reduce the incidence.
Thisdaylive.com
