Child sexual exploitation has been on the increase in the country. The shameful act is capable of robbing innocent children of their dreams, aspirations and dignity just as experts and parents have suggested that checks be carried out before teachers are hired and that government should ensure that sex and relationship education reflects in schools’ curriculum. Funmi Ogundare and Esther Akintade report
Gideon Comprehensive High School, Lagos used to be a respected school until a youth corps member, Mr. David Ikenna (not real name) was drafted to serve there. He was loved by parents and teachers because of his intelligence and passion to teach the students. Later on, he was hired by some parents to teach their children at home. In the course of teaching them, he started abusing them sexually while their parents were away and even enticed them with money while threatening them not to tell their parents.
One of such student was Princess, 12, who after being sexually abused at school one day, was bleeding profusely when she got home. By the time her parents returned and noticed her countenance, they forced her to tell them all that had been happening to her while they were away. They rushed her to the hospital and reported the incident to the school authority the following day and the youth corps member was questioned about his shameful act, dismissed and handed over to the police.
Princess’ case is just one of many sexual assault inflicted on girls below the age of 18, as according to the United Nations International Children Education Fund (UNICEF) report of 2015, six out of 10 children in Nigeria experience emotional, physical or sexual abuse before the age of 18 with half experiencing physical violence.
A survey carried out by the Positive Action for Treatment Access (PATA) over 31.4 per cent of girls said their first sexual encounter was through rape or forced sex of some kind.
The Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development also reported that 1,200 girls had been raped in 2012 in Rivers, a coastal state in south eastern Nigeria.
Studies conducted in Nigeria disclose that young girls are victims in most reported assault cases in hospitals. A four-year review of sexual assault cases at LASUTH that began in 2008 and ended in December 2012, showed that out of a total 287 reported cases of sexual assault, 83 per cent of the victims were below the age of 19.
A one year survey conducted at Enugu State University Teaching Hospital between 2012 and 2013 revealed that 70 per cent of sexual assault victims were under the age of 18. In the Enugu survey, most of the victims knew their perpetrators and the assault occurred inside uncompleted buildings and the victims or perpetrators’ residence.
The Department for Child Protection and Family Support has a legal mandate under the children and community service to provide for the protection and care of children in circumstances where their parents have not given, or are unlikely or unable to give them protection and care.
Child sexual abuse and physical assault in Nigeria is an offence under several sections of chapter 21 of the country’s Criminal Code and it is a form of abuse that includes sexual activity with a minor. The act is seen now as societal menace which comprises defilement, indecent acts, attempted defilement, child trafficking, child sex tourism, child prostitution and child pornography. The current statistics indicate that child sexual abuse is on the rise and has robbed children of their dreams, aspirations and dignity.
Aside being perpetrated inside uncompleted buildings, the victims or perpetrators’ residence, the act is also prevalent especially in educational institutions where teachers have control over their students.
To address the menace, some teachers, parents have suggested that background checks/records should be carried out on teachers before they are hired so as to find out if they had a history of such acts before, and that government should ensure that sex and relationship education reflect in schools’ curriculum.
The Proprietor of St. Pesak International School, Ikorodu, Mr. Philip Akinnagbe, said children of school age, secondary schools and youth organisations are at risk, adding that the schools are left on their own to perform background checks of new hires and generally have no access to the sole tracking system of teachers who were disciplined by state authorities.
He said despite the risk, schools regularly fail to do the most basic background checks of the teachers they hire. “Some schools even hire teachers who have criminal cases.”
A parent, Mr. Omoyele Omosola thinks sexual abuse is a difficult topic but an important one for educators to understand when it comes to the students they teach.
He said it is important for all those who want to protect their children from abuse to know that oftentimes abusers are the very people they know and are close to. “They are so good; they are so sought-after, they are attractive. That is how they get away with many years of abuse.”
He urged parents to trust their instincts and to talk to their children and ask pertinent questions; watch signs of mental illness like eating disorder and depression.
“Schools need to work harder on protecting children from abuse that plays on children’s emotions and uses them as a way to gain entry into a child’s body and mind. Schools must teach children what abuse from a teacher looks like, what it sounds like, what it does to the brain and heart and soul.”
Another parent, Mr. Bayo Ogunmuyiwa, said school owners must ensure they do a proper background check on teachers before employing them, adding that parents should teach their children how to be well behaved and disciplined so that they won’t end up seducing their teachers.
Mr. Kolade Alade linked the cause of sexual abuse to parental background, saying that when the foundation is weak or when the children are from broken homes, it could affect them and by the time they start mingling with other people to get different ideas, it could lead to different things.
“Some parents enroll their children for home lessons without supervising the teacher; moreover it is good to take your children through sexual education.”
A teacher, who preferred anonymity, said when a child is sexually assaulted it requires commitment from various sectors across homes, schools, communities and beyond to address the problem.
“The most challenging fact with child abuse or exploitation is that in most cases, the children are abused in places that should be safe spaces for them, such as at homes and schools. In most cases, the perpetrators are people who should be protecting the children like parents, guardians and teachers.”
She said the signs of child sexual abuse may be hard to spot, particularly if a child is being threatened, adding, “to make sure that children are protected, one should be aware of the signs that might suggest a child is being sexually exploited.”
Mrs. Chinyere Nwanni recalled how her neighbour had left her six and eight-year-old daughter and son who came back from school in the care of her husband’s brother to attend a women’s programme in her church, only for her to come back and meet her daughter screaming uncontrollably.
“On close examination, the mother discovered that her daughter was bleeding and decided to make further enquiry. Her brother confirmed that their uncle had sent him to an errand to buy Fanta, while defiling the poor girl behind closed doors.”
Nwanni said if only her eight-year-old brother had been better educated, he might have been able to sense danger earlier, while calling on parents to rise to the social vice against children.
Dr. Bukola Olaoluwa highlighted the worrying trend of children who learn about sex and relationship from online pornography, saying that though parents are sometimes responsible for whatever happens to their children, they can do a lot to reduce their vulnerability to sexual abuse and increase the chance of the information they will give if something happens.
“Parent may not be able to protect their children fully from being molested, but they just need to talk to them directly about it and do it every time. Children often show us rather than tell us that something is upsetting them, there may be many reasons for changes in their behavior, but if we notice a combination of worrying signs, it may be time to call for help or advice.”
She listed the negative signs to watch out for in children that are being abused to include acting in an inappropriate way, nightmares, sleeping problem, becoming withdrawn or very clingy, becoming unusually secretive, sudden unexplained personality changes, mood swing and feeling insecure, among others, saying that the presence of these suggest that parents should begin to ask questions.
“No one wants to see his/her child grow up in fear, neglect and anger, more so, no one is born knowing how to care for children but sometimes we make mistake that hurt them.”
The Patrol Unit Officer, Ministry of Education, Mrs. Kikelomo Olawuni, said the government is concerned about the long-term effect on children that are victims of abuse, adding that their self-esteem and performance in school is also paramount.
“Some even drop out of school and for many, their social and personal level is affected which could make them not to fulfill their ambitions.”
She noted that action is needed to make sure that all schools are equipped to respond appropriately and tackle these issues and that government should ensure that sex and relationship education reflects in schools’ curriculum and realities of the 21st century rather than children having to learn it on their smartphones.
A teacher at Anthony Village Senior High School, Miss Moyosola Lasisi, said background checks should be conducted on hired teachers to find out if there had been a history of such acts before.
“The human resources (HR) department of schools should not only hire people who are academically qualified for the teaching job, but will be disciplined enough to know the proper ethics and codes of the job.”
She said school uniforms should also be properly designed and not to reveal some parts of the body especially when the students are in the secondary school and attaining teenage age when their body develops rapidly.
She added that co-curricular and social activities should be properly monitored and organised, adding, “dress code should be suggested to prevent immodest dressing among them.”
