Group raises awareness on male child sexual, drug abuse

A non-governmental organisation, Serene Early-Trobb Concept (Initiative) in partnership with DOHS Cares Foundation has condemned in strong terms over the rising incidences of sexual abuse against male children in the country,

At a 1-day seminar on Boys Lives Matter sponsored by Merit Telecoms to create awareness among young male children in Lagos, the group called for meticulous action in tackling what they described as a growing trend before it turned into a monster.

Founder/ Executive Director of Serene Early-Trobb Concept, Rhoda Olorunfemi said attention had been on girls and women while the male gender was also going through similar experiences.

“These young people need to choose for themselves, and know some of the signs and who the abuses could be and what they can do to protect themselves,” she added.

“When we are talking about sexual and gender-based abuse, most times, the victims are women and young girls. We should not be blind to the fact that men and young boys are also going through it.

“The way things are going, there is a lot of sexual violation against the boys going on, not to mention even men in their homes. When there is a problem and it is not being tackled meticulously, there is a tendency that the problem will be maturing.

According to her, Serene Early-Trobb Concept was initiated to address molestation, sexual abuse and all manner of negative influence affecting the Boy-Child.

A Psychologist/Therapist and Child advocate, Omolola Okewumi who spoke on Mental Health Challenges and Solutions, said when boys are abused, they always maintain the culture of silence.

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“Many people do not know that boys are sexually abused on a daily basis, thinking that it’s girls alone. The impression in the public is that only girls, women are sexually abused, which is totally wrong and should be corrected before things get out of hand.

“This sensitization now will help them to speak out. Just as before now, with the girl-child, there has been a culture of silence, but because of advocacy, and sensitization, people are more confident that they can cry for help.

“We need to balance the equation by shifting our attention to the boy-child, so that we can nip this issue in the bud,” she said.

According to her, the cases of sexual abuse against boys are under reported, “Some of this boys don’t know they have been sexually abused. It is when you are educated about something, that you will know that this is wrong or right. Some don’t speak up, as their self-esteem has been broken down to the lowest end.

“It is time for these young people to know that, it is time to speak up because they are humans. Abuse, molestation of whatever kind is unacceptable and must be cried out.

Speaking on “Dangers of Drug/Substance Abuse on health, Segun Eluyode who is the founder of Housterdin Consulting and Lacaperia Academy/Editor of The True Leaders Magazine said many energetic youth abuse drugs either orally or through injections which pushed them to engage in various social crime in the society.

According to him, many adolescents are not left out in this, as they are either influenced by peer groups while others do so because of the easy availability of the abused substances, while others also watch on television and films and read in books and so try to experiment to experience the effects.

He urged parents to pay closer attention to their kids’ activities and friendships to curtail negative influence. He added that if the youth drug menace is not promptly addressed as a national priority, the consequences could be dire.

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Addressing the children on the importance of career pursuit in the telecommunication sector, Ahmed Aworinde from Merit Telecoms, said the aim is to provide the children a valuable opportunity to explore their interests and aspirations, and by providing guidance and support to help the children make informed decisions about their future and set them on a path towards success.

“Our expectations going into the session were that we would be able to engage the children and help them explore their interests and aspirations. We hoped to create a safe and supportive environment where they could feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas,” said Aworinde.

“Overall, the children demonstrated a good understanding of the theme of the session and its relevance to their future. They recognized that identifying their passions and interests was an important first step in pursuing a fulfilling career and were grateful for the guidance and support provided,” he said.