By Justina Auta
A 16-year-old female student and survivor of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) on Tuesday, called on parents and the federal government to pay more attention on prosecution of female violators.
The student made the call in an interview on the sideline of a sensitisation on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) for selected students across FCT public schools organised by the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD) in Abuja.
She narrated that she was sexually violated and introduced to lesbianism at four-years old when her mother died and she relocated to stay with some relatives.
She explained that the experience made her addicted to lesbianism, “but I have been rehabilitated and the support from my family helped me to overcome it.
“I was a victim of lesbianism when my mother died and I was brought to a place to stay. I didn’t know that what I was doing was wrong because I was only four years old and thought the perpetrators would flog me.
“But I have now overcome the situation and whenever I feel like doing it, I pray. My family now knows about it; my dad knows. I am so free and can talk to them about it.
“I was violated by a fellow woman. Parents are not aware of so many things that their children are undergoing because of the way they train them, they do not focus on their children.
“I want to urge parents to focus on activities of their children and monitor them so that they do not digress and follow the wrong path.’’
She also called on government and other stakeholders to beam their searchlights on women violators, as they were also perpetrators of GBV, but were usually under-reported.
On his part, Onuche Charles, a student of GSS Garki, Area 10, Abuja, stressed the need to report GBV cases to appropriate authorities and ensure that survivors received justice.
Charles said “there is need to report such cases and ensure justice is served and I will continue to educate fellow boys and men on the ills of GBV. I am ready to sacrifice time toward that.’’
Another student, Okuna Chioma-Emmanuella, 15-year-old student from Model Secondary School, Maitama, said “even though boys also experience GBV, the cases are prevalent among girls and women.”
She stressed the need for sensitisation on the effects of GBV, adding that implementation of existing laws and policies would ensure that such cases were reduced to the minimal and perpetrators were punished to serve as deterrent to others.
“GBV affects the lives of survivors and it can cause inferiority complex. We need to speak against it and make it stop,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dr Asabe Vilita-Bashir, the Director General, NCWD, said the sensitisation exercise was part of the 16 Days of Activism to End GBV and create awareness among students to speak out when violated.
She said “it is important to sensitise students from young age not to abuse the girl-child and this is the best age to teach them. If you teach them at a young age, they will grow up with the culture of not abusing girls.
“We all have our responsibilities and the legislature should take up their responsibilities of making laws that will guide against this menace and those that are responsible for the implementation of the laws should do it.
“Also, when those that perpetrate the acts are punished, definitely other people will not do it.
“Untill we speak out, the authorities will not know what we are going through and it will also help relevant authorities to take responsibilities of combating the menace and ensuring perpetrators are punished.”
On her part, Mrs Dayo Benjamin, a resource person who spoke on “Increasing Awareness and Knowledge Sharing on GBV” advised parents to protect their children from violence.
