By Wole Adedeji, Ilorin
The Anti Human Trafficking and Illegal Migration Unit of the the Kwara State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, commenced sensitization of secondary school girls against sexual abuse and child abuse.
The exercise, according to the Kwara State Command of the NSCDC spokesman, Babawale Afolabi, would last seven days.
The sensitisation kicked off at the Government Day Secondary School at Agbabiaka, as well as Okelele Secondary School, Government Day Secondary School, Kulende and Oke Sunna Girls Secondary School, Oke Sunna, among others.
The sensitization and enlightening programme was said to be with the aim of educating the school pupils on the danger of sexual abuse and child labour, and the need to endeavour to prevent themselves from being victims.
Themed ‘Addressing the Social Ills of Sexual Abuse and Child Labour Amongst Students,’ the programme was to properly enlighten and educate the girl-students on how not to allow their career to be ruined, Afolabi said
He added that the students could do this by not involving themselves in any illicit sexual activities and also know that they have unfetered rights to report to the appropriate authorities where they are being sexuallly abused.
He said, “The state NSCDC Commandant, Makinde Iskil Ayinla, has directed the anti-human trafficking unit of the Corps to go ahead with the sensitization programme and in the past few days, the officers and men of the unit, led by the Head Of Unit, ACC. Bamigboye Folake, have visited some schools in Ilorin metropolis.
Afolabi further said that the programme enjoyed the support of the Kwara State Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, pointing out that in the coming days, the team would visit more secondary schools in the state capital.
He added. “It is going to be a continuous sensitization programme as plans are already in top gear to take the programme to primary schools, because we believe that the age bracket of primary school pupils suffer child abuse most and also we are going to cover all the 16 local government in the state.”
