It’s time to speak against child sexual abuse – Ijeh

In spite of existing laws upholding the rights of the child in Nigeria, there is hardly a day a gone by without the news of a child being violated by persons they trust or are meant to protect them, a case which is increasingly becoming rampant and disheartening.

A UNICEF report paints a dire picture of the situation. Six out of ten children in Nigeria experience emotional, physical or sexual abuse before the age of 18, with half experiencing physical violence, the reports said.

“Such report is an indictment on us as a people,” said Nkemakonam Ijeh, the founder of StopS-CAN Organization, a not-for-profit organisation which campaigns against child exploitation and abuse.

The organisation is planning a series of awareness programmes on child sexual abuse, first of which will involve a walk on 22nd April 2017,…