BY: News Peddlers
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| Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos State |
On Saturday, the Lagos State Government decried the rising rate of child abuse, even in the home.
Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), voiced her displeasure at the Parents Association Conference on Safeguarding and Child Protection, which was held at Awori Ajeromi Grammar School in Agboju.
Mrs Vivour-Adeniyi, who was represented by Mrs Olive Oluwagbemileke, Head, Psychology Department, DSVA, said it was unfortunate that some children are sexually abused in their homes.
She stated that the Lagos State Government frowns on such behaviour and will go to any length to prosecute perpetrators.
According to her, the conference is intended to educate parents on the process of reporting cases of child abuse and violence.
She stated that the purpose of the conference is to teach parents how to prevent domestic and sexual violence, as well as the steps that can be taken to raise their children to be more responsible members of society.
Mrs. Vivour-Adeniyi stated that punishment, rather than discipline, was an effective tool for correcting children's wrongdoings, emphasising the need to investigate other milder methods of reprimanding children for wrongdoings.
“DSVA has been mandated to sensitise parents and enlighten the general public on the alarming increase in child abuse, such as physical, sexual violence, negligence, which have gone on the increase over the years.
”So in order to curb the alarming increase, we have been mandated to sensitise the general public on what child abuse is, the signs, the symptoms, because if we don’t know that our children are being abused, imagine the population of children who are suffering under this menace.
”So parents are able to watch out for these symptoms and also know the laws and policies that have been put in place by the government to protect children.
“We are here to enlighten people on how to protect our children and safeguard the rights of our children.
“In addition, we will also be enlightening parents about effective parenting skills from the psychological perspective.
“We also further enlightened parents on the differences between punishment and discipline because most parents punish children, and this leads to a lot of abuse in societies, and also in the long run, most of these children come down with mental health as adults in the future,” she said.
Also speaking, Kamardeen Akodu, Director, Monitoring and Investigation, Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA), stated that the government had done a lot to protect children through various agencies and ministries.
Mr Akodu stated that this was accomplished through the adoption of the Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy, the Child Rights Act, and the establishment of relevant agencies such as the DSVA, OEQA, MYSD, and others to combat the dangerous societal malaise.
He stated that as a result of the prompt responses to complaints/petitions, sensitization, and subsequent convictions, there was a greater awareness of safeguarding issues and more citizens were encouraged to report cases of abuse.
As a result, he claims, there is an increase in reported cases of abuse.
“It is important to note that, while the focus had been on perpetrators in schools, vis-a-vis teachers and school owners, more attention should be paid to homes.
“This is because investigation has revealed that abuses, at times, are due to negligence on the part of parents. In some cases, the abusers are relations and family friends.
“This is why this meeting is very important in curtailing the incidents of abuse in society. As parents, your roles contribute either positively or negatively in the fight to rid society of abuses.
“You are responsible for the safety of the children in your care. Our children are our future, please take good care of them to prepare a better tomorrow for ourselves,” he said.
(NAN)