By Ani Solomon
The Chief Executive Officer, Center for Education Development and Skill Acquisition Initiative (CEDESA), Mrs. Ugbe Oluronke has decried the incessant rape cases and gruesome killings of the victims across the country in recent weeks while the perpetrators walk the streets as free men.
In a press statement released to newsmen by the NGO, the CEDESA boss lamented what she described as dehumanizing and degrading of the girl child; she therefore called on the government and all relevant authorities to work out stiff penalties for offenders.
According to the her, cases of sexual violence on women across the country is on the increase since the outbreak of COVID-19; the girl child and women should arm themselves with tactics of self-defense against the mean and wild men, she added.
“The rate at which ‘rape and kill’ is occurring in our society is alarming and calls for urgent remedy and solution. These are trying time for our country and the government should come up with extant laws to discourage such acts by stipulating stiff penalties on offenders.”
ALSO READ: 29-Year-Old Man Allegedly Rapes Three Minors After Luring Them With N500 In Delta
She also noted that, sexual violence on the girl child can adversely affect her outlook on life, education, the opposite gender and the society as well.
“Rape has a great dehumanizing and degrading effects on the victims. The frequency of its occurrence in our nation today is capable of affecting the education of the girl child negatively. For instance, if the girl child of primary and secondary school age is raped, it introduces a serious emotional, health and psychological problem to her which is capable of destabilizing her for life.”
Mrs. Ugbe further stressed that apart from the serious medical challenge, psychological disorder of rape, that it also introduces in the victims a negative attitude, aggression and hate for the opposite gender and invariably affect concentration in study and assimilation of study materials leading to failures and consequent drop out of school.
According to her, CEDESA stands for justice and concerned with education development in the country and as such the organization is against any act that threatens the girl child and jeopardize the fulfilment of SDGs no4 – Quality Education by 2030.
The CEDESA boss also noted that there should be campaigns against rape and sexual violence in whatever guise. “I think there is a serious need for radio and television jingles to enlighten the society about the colossal damage rape will do to the health, status and academic pursuit of the girl child.”
“Again, the girl child should be trained to dress decently covering sensitive parts of her body. Failure to do this sparks up animalistic passion in the opposite gender which results in rape and murder of the girl child as we see today. Also, both Christian and Muslim clerics should constantly speak, teach and preach against it, so that our society can be free from this vice.” she added.
