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International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA, has called on parent, teachers, guardians and caregivers to ensure they begin sex education of their children as early as two years.
The Rivers State Acting Chairperson of FIDA, Nnenna Igbokwe, who made the call while sensitizing pupils and students of Edufort Group of Schools Port Harcourt, on sexual violence against children, said it is important to teach children to protect their sexual organs in order to save them from sexual violence.
Barrister Igbokwe noted that gone are the days when parent and guardians are shy of teaching their children sex education, noting that every child needs to be alert to sexual abuse, know their sensitive body part as not to allow anyone to touch their body.
She encouraged parent, teachers, guardians to give more sensitive attention to children and teach them to know that not every touch on the body parts is right.
“They should start early to talk to children on sex education, as early as two years old children should know their body part, tell them what they need to know about their sexual organs and how to protect themselves.
“These perpetrators threaten the victim with death or killing them and their families, with that fear, they would not want to communicate or tell the ordeal to anyone. So it is important for parent-teachers and guardians to build confidence in children early enough, it will enable them to be sexually alert, know when someone threatening them and when a touch becomes a bad one”
On his part, Principal Edufort Group of Schools Port Harcourt, Nicholas Nwachukwu, advised parents to create a communication code between them and their children, for alertness whenever there is a perceived danger.
“Parent should have a code in a way of letting their kid’s alert them when an irresponsible person touches them in the wrong places or when they are in danger. They can create signs as code, like winking of eyes, thumbs up, or something to signify they are not in the right frame of mind that particular moment or they have been molested”
He called on the Federal and State government to make laws that will put sexual molestation to a stop.
The Chairperson FIDA also took her campaign on Ending Incest and all Sexual Violence amongst Adolescent and Youths to Government Craft Development Center Port Harcourt, sensitizing them that incest is never love but a crime in the Nigerian constitution.
She emphasized that the high rise of incest is really having a negative effect on children and youth, noting that it is a sexual offence punishable under section 214 sub 3 of the Criminal code Law.
“We Human Right Organization have seen the need to call for an end of incest practice in our society today. It has become a crime perpetrated amongst family members across the country.
“It is very eminent to educate the young ones on knowing their right on sexual feelings, behaviours and the need to resist, speak out on any sexual advances from family members, friends or neighbours”
