From Okwe Obi, Abuja
In a bid to stamp out sexual abuse, early forced child marriage, the Sexual Offences Awareness and Response Initiative (SOAR Initiative), has taken the campaign to schools in Chafuyi and Pigba-Kasa communities in Apo District of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).
SOAR Project Officer, Levi Yakubu, said the organisation also counseled victims of sexual harassment and trained on how to produce reusable sanitary pads giving the current economic hardship.
Yakubu, during a campaign and to celebrate with the graduating class that participated in the training in Abuja on Friday, said the project, which is targeted at empowering about 240 vulnerable girls aged 10 to 16 years, was funded by Mundo Cooparente, for 9 months.
According to him, the SOAR Initiative also, set up a community child protection committee, to fish out victims, and report them to the relevant authorities, adding that the aforementioned social vices, if allowed to fester, would steal the joy, careers and fulfillment of young girls.
He said: “This project is funded by Mundo Cooperanti to build the capacity of adolescent girls about child sexual abuse, early forced child marriage in schools and community.
“Basically, we are implementing this project in two communities; Chafuyi and Pigba-Kasa.
“The school that are serving these communities are JSS Kabuwa, L.E.A Puibakasa and JSS, Waru because the girls from the communities are attending those schools.
“So, we said for those who are not opportune to hear it in the community, they will hear it in school.
“We have built their capacity in a project called girls empower to arise. It is a mentoring session so that they can understand and assert their rights and address issues of girls sexual abuse, early forced child marriage in their schools and communities.
“A lot of things have been happening in schools and communities. In fact, they do not even see it as violence.
“But with this sensitisation and capacity we have built in 12 section with different topics on self assertiveness, self confidence, child marriage, sexual and gender-based violence, child sexual abuse.
“So, today is their graduation, we are here to distribute t-shirts, cooked food and so on.
“In all of these, the girls were able to speak up against sexual violence. We were able to identify those that have been violated and provided counseling for them.
“In sexual offences and awareness initiative, we build the capacity of children in communities and schools.
“We respond, we prevent and link them to service providers like hospitals NAPTIP so that they get justice.
“In communities, we established what is called community child protection committee.
“You know that project has lifespan, we established the committee to address child sexual abuse because if we are not there, the violence will continue.
“The members of the committee will report such cases to the relevant authorities for action.
“So far, the community child protection committee has been working. They go to churches, mosques and schools in their community to sensitize people about sexual and gender-based violence.
“We are in Waru to celebrate those that participated in the training and have graduated.
“Another thing we are doing is to train them on how to make reusable sanitary pads because we understand that it is now an issue because of the hardship.
“It is very different for most parents to buy sanitary pads for them. We hired a consultant to teach them on how they can make it locally with materials within their reach.”
A student, Faith Waziri, said the training energised her to be proud of her being and to protect herself against sexual abuse.
“I am proud of myself. Before now, I was dull and scary. But with the knowledge grained fro the training, I am now bold and confident. Nobody can intimidate me again. My yes is my yes. And my no is my no,” she said.