The radio program organized by Youthcare Development and Empowerment Intiative in conjunction with Premier FM 93.5 held on Tuesday 1st September, from 10:02 am to 10:42 am. It began with an audio by Amina Mohammed, who serves as the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. She spoke against the global rape culture and encouraged people to do what could be done in their own little way to put an end to it.
The Anchor of the program, Mr Bolatito Joseph then proceeded to ask why Youthcare Developmment and Empowerment Intiative was set up. Dr Adefunke Ekine responded with how it all began in the early 2000s with few women who sought to better the education and lives of young girls by visiting schools to empower them. She stated that from there it grew to become a registered non-governmental organization that seeks to empower both male and female youths. When asked about types of abuses, she quoted the World Health Organization (WHO) to list six types. On why the research was conducted, Dr Ekine explained that Nigeria had no literature on abuse done on people younger than 15 years, even though ages 6 to 11 have proven to be the ages where the abuse begins. She said this encouraged her to carry out the research on children from ages 10-13.
Moving on to Mr Isiaka Salami, he explained in great detail the meaning of School Related Gender Based Violence (SRGBV). He also detailed how the government has sought to combat such issues by getting rid of underlying causes through the use of ministries such as; The Ministry of Women Affairs. He also stated that laws are being enacted to punish perpetrators and in doing so diminish such inhumane activities.
Dr Ekine rounded up with how the protection and education of children is a collective responsibility, and how parents should ensure they do not leave the education of their children on such pressing matters to the teachers alone. She implored people around children who are victims of abuse to provide psychosocial support, as such children easily become withdrawn and depressed. She further stated that YCDEI plans to return to the schools used for the research in Oyo state to train teachers, empower pupils, and have community meetings with social institutions to raise awareness.
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