Women Protest On Abuja Streets Against Child Molestation, Urge Parents To Speak Up

A group of women under the umbrella of Abuja Moms has protested over the rising cases of rape and child molestation in Nigeria while calling on parents to speak up when such incidents occur for the child to get justice.

The protesters with placards bearing inscriptions like “Say no to child molestation,” “Shatter the silence, report molesters,” “Uphold the Child Rights Act always,” “See something, say something,” among others, demanded an end to molestation carried out against children by those who are most often relatives or close people to the parents of the victims.

The protest tagged ‘Walk Against Child Molestation’ took off from Millennium Park at 8 a.m., to other parts of the city where the women sensitise the residents on the dangers of keeping silent when their children are molested.

Speaking during the protest, the founder of the Abuja Moms Empowerment Foundation, Happiness Ani, stated that there were rising cases of child molestation because parents did not speak up when it occurred.

Ani pointed out that sometimes, when parents dare to speak out and report to the police, they are usually urged to drop the case and settle at home.

She stated that the Walk, which is an annual event, was aimed at reminding parents to speak up, adding that speaking up will not only bring justice to the child but will serve as a healing process.

“This is our annual walk against child molestation. I was molested at age 10, and I know the trauma that I had to deal with. It took me over 20 years before I was able to speak out about it.

“We are trying to let the world know that these crimes do happen, and it is important that children are protected.

“I feel that every year, if we have the opportunity to educate women, mothers, and fathers on the dangers that some children go through, most times when we do this, we have people who call to say my child was molested. How do we get help?

“So, we are always saying to them, don’t drop it. My mother was convinced not to press charges against my aunt’s husband because people would consider me a dis-virtuous child. I imagined the trauma that I went through, even though there was no penetration. I feel that people who get penetrated will pass through the worst trauma that I have gone through,” she said.

Ani disclosed that apart from the sensitization, the group has taken up a lot of cases, some of which are ongoing in courts.

She explained that the Abuja Moms, which is an all women platform on Facebook with more than 48,000 members, has a legal team that is always on hand to support women and men who go through such circumstances pro bono, saying the Foundation had recently secured a judgment where the suspect was sentenced to jail.

She advised parents to keep an eye on everybody around them as paedophiles could be someone who has their trust, like a brother, nephew, neighbour, or even a sister.