Soroptimist International, a global volunteer advocacy group with affiliation in Nigeria, have taken the war on child and adult rape to Nigerian primary schools. Recently, the Apapa chapter of the organization took their campaign to Ire Akari primary school, Iganmu, where they took out time to educate the children on the issue of rape and sexual violence. But incidentally they were busy educating the kids on rape but the parents were absent. But according to the president Apapa chapter, Magdaleen Obiano, they have been organizing seminars and enlightenment for parents and women under pressure even from their spouses. “You know a husband can ape his wife”; she said, with a wry smile on her face.
Child molestation and rape has been in the front burner of National discuss, with so many gory tales coming out of the media of girl-children and under age children being molested even by their parents and relatives.
But Obiano insisted their efforts are yielding fruits. Though she did not say whether there has been any litigation involving child molestation and rape, she admitted that there are cases of widows being maltreated by her late husbands relatives whose cases have been taken over by the organization. “We took over her case and resettled her, seeing about her children’s education”, she said, emphasizing that they basically cater for the women, children and underprivileged.
