Include Body Safety Ed. In School Curriculum To Prevent Sexual Abuse #RaiseDontRuin

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When I was eight years old, I attended a wedding party and while I was there, a relative made me sit on his thighs during which he caressed my underdeveloped breasts, nonstop.

I never felt such discomfort and fear in my life, but I was too stunned to speak and couldn’t muster enough courage to ask him to STOP! Hence, i sat still and simply endured what felt like an eternity of torture. If any adult who was present would have taken the time to observe me, perhaps they would have noticed what was going on. But they all looked right through me and all they saw was a child on a relative’s thighs and focused on the wedding party.

This encouraged the perpetrator and he continued with the act for 30 minutes. It was one of the most unpleasant 30 minutes of my life, until my elder brother came to the rescue. He told me to get up and instructed me to never sit on anyone’s thighs again.

Perpetrators are often people a child knows and trusts, family and non-family alike. Child sexual abuse often occurs in places a child should feel safe.

In Nigeria, one in four girls and 10 per cent of boys have been victims of sexual violence before their 18th birthday and only 2% of girls and 4% of boys receive any help (UNICEF).

Based on my first hand experience and the aforementioned figure provided by UNICEF, I’m appealing to the Honourable Commissioner, Kaduna State Ministry of Education, Hajiya Halima Lawal to :

– Mandate the Compulsory Inclusion of Body Safety Education in the Kaduna State Primary School Curriculum To Prevent Child Sexual Abuse within the next One(1) year. The purpose is to equip children with the knowledge and skills necessary to protect them from sexual abuse.

An informed child is a powerful child and they will draw strength from that power. This is a must have for every child, no child should be abused in this world. The Inclusion of Body Safety Education is one of the surest ways of ending child abuse in the State and beyond.

As a mother who was once a child, I know how important it is for a child to feel safe, this ensures a happy childhood devoid of trauma that can last a life time.

Child sexual abuse should never be given a chance to rear its ugly head. It’s our duty as adults to protect the future of children. Our children deserve a happy and safe future. We owe our children and the children of the next generation a safer world.

In order to provide the groundwork for this inclusion into the school curriculum, I started the #RaiseDontRuin Project in February of 2022. This project was borne out of a current need which is to ‘end child sexual abuse’ in our world. It aims to impact 3000 primary school pupils with an hour of ‘body safety education’ in the state.

The #RaiseDontRuin Project has been expository. Not only have we been able to empower these children, but the children have enlightened us with their vast experiences as well. They will in turn be the reason that hundreds of thousands of families will be blessed with my added knowledge and experience.

In February we impacted 277 pupils, In May we reached 711 pupils and we have many other schools lined up to enlighten. This brings the total to 988 from 3000.

This campaign also birthed #RaiseDontRuin Series, which tells informative tales of my different encounters with children and parents mostly shared online on LinkedIn and Facebook. You can read them by typing the #RaiseDontRuin on these platforms.

I cannot fold my hands and do nothing when children are suffering all over the world, that’s why I won’t give up till ‘Body Safety Education’ is implemented not only Kaduna State Primary School Curriculum but in all the States of the Federation.

But I cannot do this alone I need your constant support, this is a fight for all of us. That’s why I’m calling on the Honourable Commissioner, Kaduna State Ministry of Education, Hajiya Halima Lawal to:

– Mandate the Compulsory Inclusion of Body Safety Education in the Kaduna State Primary School Curriculum To Prevent Child Sexual Abuse within the next One(1) year.

Join your hands with mine, so we can work together to WIN this campaign. Please sign this petition and share with your friends and loved ones. Feel free to reach out to me via email for enquiries.

I am Henrietta Nonye Odey, I’ll continue to work to ensure children are safe, protected and happy.

Thank you.