As salam aleikum brothers & sisters
I’m sorry for my long silence and absence but i guess it isn’t a real surprise seeing as i am only a pretend writer but I’m sure with persistence and perseverance, i will get better.
i have decided to talk about something that as Nigerians we all know happens but for some reason or another it never gets addressed. We all know it’s wrong, we all know it exists but we don’t like to talk about it let alone tackle the issue. I’m talking about child sexual abuse.
I recently saw a post on my alumnae page on facebook asking if we remember such and such teachers. Sweet memories came to mind as I was reading through the names then I saw a male teacher’s name and I remember rumours about his (and some other male teachers) secret relations with some of the girls at school. At the time I didn’t think it was wrong on the teacher’s part but I thought the girls were slutty but looking back now, I can’t help but feel upset by the fact that those teachers were in a position of trust and yet they did not flinch at all before they were taking advantage of the young girls. I don’t think they realised it was child abuse. Maybe they still do it now. I certainly know a few older men still do it and think it is ok for them to be with a girl who is under the age of consent. (Do Nigerians even know about age of consent?) I’m sure if the girls knew then what they know now they probably would not let it happen. Parents send their kids to school in the hope that the teachers will look out for them not take advantage of them. Like I said, they were rumours so I cannot confidently say they happened. But I know for a fact that it has happened outside of school to some kids without realising what they were doing is wrong on all levels. Some of these parents may I say do not hesitate before they sexually abuse a child elsewhere. Some even abuse their own children now that is one sick parent.
I have heard and read about men committing this heinous crimes but I don’t remember hearing or reading about a woman committing child sexual abuse. Is it because Nigerian women are more God fearing than the men? Or is it the maternal instinct in them that does not allow them to think of carrying out such crime or am I just unaware that they do it too? Do the men not realise what they are doing is bad or do they just choose to ignore their conscience? I have lots of question about it but I don’t think I will get an answer to it anytime soon.
Even when nollywood make films about it, they don’t really address it. Nigeria movie industry do tackle societal issues. It would be nice to see them actually deal with them once in a while. I recently started following Funke Akindele on twitter I really like this funny actress. As I was going through her pictures, I was shocked at what i found in her collection. A full on kiss with a boy not more than 6years of age! What was she thinking? what kind of role models do we have in Nigeria?
When is the right time to start looking at a girl sexually? I have heard of instances when men look at a 10 year old even 9 year old girl with lust in their eyes and it is annoying to see. I did a survey and 13 respondents completed it and 69.2% of them were touched inappropriately as a kid. that’s 9 out of 13. that is just a statistic enough to bring tears to one’s eyes. Imagine it happening to your kid? No one wants to imagine it but as long as it remains a crime that is not being punished, it will continue to happen. I would like to see us come together, do our best in trying to stamp it out.
I want to believe i am not the only one thinking this is wrong. I really hope I have men who read my blog. if you do please leave a comment. Tell me what you think about this issue. Do you think its child abuse or do you think it’s nothing to worry about? Thank you for taking your time to read this. I will in shaa Allah try to post a new topic within a month.
Curled from :www.bonnetcap.wordpress.com
I think a serious penalty should be set for people that are found guilty of this act
ReplyDeleteI know rape is a serious offence in d court of law but how many people take it up legally? Some victims(girls expecially) have low self esteem such that when it happens, they find it difficult to report the situation to their parents or guardian, bulk of the job is with the parent, they should endeavour to teach their kids about sex education as early as 2yrs else, outsiders will teach dem in the wrong way. Its a big societal issue that we really nid to work on and we cannot do it alone, we nid the support of our top officials as well.
ReplyDeleteAs a child, I was molested and taught things by different people, things I also taught other children. After moving to a boarding school, I realised what I did or taught was very wrong. If it is not curbed or addressed the cycle will go on. Sometimes we do not have the ability to know if it is right or wrong. If not for God, I might have been a Lesbian.
ReplyDeleteParents need to engage their children better, we need to learn to talk to their kids. I was less than 6 when I was raped. Do you think it doesn't affect me till date? Let's start talking first.