By Ovat Abeng
No more than 450 girls from twelve Secondary School in Anambra State, has been trained and empowered on ways to avoid sexual abused.
The training organised by Blossom Girls Africa/2nd edition of the group conference was held at Abbey hall, All Saints Cathedral Onitsha, Anambra State, on Tuesday.
Speaking during her welcome address, the Executive Director of Blossom Girls Africa, Mrs Gwacham Chidiogo, appeal to federal and state legislators to channel part of their constituency allowances to assist teenage girl-child development.
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According to her, the conference which she described as a gathering of strength, purpose and possibility, has its theme, as “She Can”, told the girls that there is no limit to what they can do in life, adding that what will put them in the table is not whether they are male or female, but the value of what they can bring on the table and the content of their character and the excellence that they posses.
She advised the girls not to look down on themselves, urging them to always feel that they are more than enough and limitless. and reminded them that if they can conceive it, then they can achieve it.
“Am using this opportunity to appeal to the Federal and State lawmakers to channel part of their constituency allowance to raise the girl child.
“Raising the girl child have many huddles facing her that could break her if proper knowledge were not give to her. We are also calling on the church and well meaning Nigerians to come together and play a part in girl child development.”
While commending parents on training their girl child, she noted that most parents are limited in the duty because of lack of knowledge, and therefore urge them to seek knowledge saying that “When they know better, they do better.
“One of the challenge of parents in training their children is the knowledge gap, there is a gap in their knowledge because times have changed.
“The information you need to raise the girl child of year 2000 will not be what you need now to raise the girl of year 2025, we have technology and internet now, we have a lot in the social media, so this is a call for parents to wake up, because there are works to do.
“We want to make sure that we train wholesome girl child, we are training not just their physical, we are covering other aspect of their lives, the spiritual and emotional life. If a girl learn emotional intelligence she will be able to understand that puberty is not a reason to start misbehaving.
“We are teaching them their personal hygiene, we are teaching them about their bodies and how to handle relationships because they will grow, and part of being a teenager is that they will grow to that point of having feelings, and we know the limitations, challenges and consequences that comes with that.”
The Executive Director, Preserved Child Foundation, a group that prevents child’s sexual abuse, Mrs. Lynda Nnodiogu, who also elaborated more on the girl-child, said explain that the school awareness campaign they have been having in the last six years have centered on keeping the girl child away from sexual abuse.
“Today we have come to equip these girls drawn from over twelve Secondary Schools, to teach them how to be able to keep themselves safe from sexual abuse and how they can spot unsafe people, and the most likely people who could abuse them.
“Often times we talk about what they should do when abused, but we feel that prevention is better and that is why we are here today. We are giving them the skills they need to know so that they will see the signs, the red flags of where they can be abused and to avoid it.
“We also tell them what to do when abuses happens. We live in a society that promotes silence. The culture of silence that is killing us and enabling the abusers.
“We told the girls to learn how to scream when abuse is about to happen because it deters the abuser, and the right place to report to avoid the abuser from going free, if we equip these children to a certain level of knowledge which is power, they will know the right place to go, the right people to call and where to seek help, that is what Blossom Girls Conference Africa Conference is all about.
“So we have told them that as children, they should know how to say “No” to child’s sexual abuse and their “No” should be loud. You know in Africa we are taught to respect adults, but some of these adults are abusing the girl child and when they are saying no they say it respectfully because of fear and in that process, it gives the vibes of “Stop it, I want it” the adults misunderstands and abuse them.
“So we have told them they must learn to say No with their words and actions and even if their voice shakes, they should say loud ‘No’ and as they are saying ‘No’ they should move away from there. Say ‘No’ with everything you have within you because your voice is your power.
Some of the areas of life the girls were trained were on self confidence, personal hygiene, purity, dangers of sexual abuse, dangers of drug abuse, choices they should and should not make in life and how to detect people capable of abusing them sexually.
Speaking on the topic, “How cases of sexual abuse have been reported in Anambra State” the Secretary Service Providers Accountability Resource Committee, Favour Okonkwo, said that as at February this year, Anambra State had 14 names registered in the Nigerian sexual offenders register, but in July it rose to 65 but as at September this year, the list increased to 192 sexual offenders whose names have entered in the database.
“We are working with Sexual Assault Referral Center in Enugu Ukwu, we want to let the girls know that any girl that is sexually molested is in crisis and we want to ensure they do not allow that to happen to them, and they should report when it happens to them because if they don’t, they are giving the abusers power to do more evil and affect others.
“So we have also come to teach them where they can get help in terms of Police, judicial, medical and rehabilitation support and referrals.
“We also let them know that sex education is important and that they should start the conversation with their mothers, because if they miss to train and teach their children, the environment will teach them.
Ifeoma Ezechukwu lectured the girls on breast cancer, while Co- Founder of Chillis Food, Pastor Mrs Ifeoma Abanyo took them on the need to be passionate in whatever they do that positively affect their lives, while Mrs Chioma Chukwuemeka, a broadcaster spoke on collaboration as necessary too for development, while Joy Uzor spoke on building a new mindset and being committed to one’s career path.
