The Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN), Kaduna has sensitised over 1,000 students of Queen Amina College on how to be safe and not to be raped as well as how to avoid being sexually harassed when they found themselves in an unhealthy environment.
Speaking in a one-day sensitization program held at the school assembly hall, the Programme officer of PPFN, Northwest, Region office, Amina Abdulrahim remarked that there were in the school to celebrate the 16 days of activism on gender-based violence, against women and girls.
“We are here today at Queen Amina College in collaboration with Kadashi Initiatives to sensitise the students of the college because based on a study there are a lot of vulnerable students from the North East that are in the college.
According to her, there is a lot of violence meted out against young girls in form of torture, sexual molestation, abuse, etc and unfortunately, the victims of this violence chose to remain silence instead of exposing the criminal.
“So we want to encourage the girls to talk and tell those close to them when they are faced with such harassment or violence.
” We equally want to equip them with information on how to be safe, how not to be raped and how to know if they are in an unhealthy environment or if they are in an unhealthy relationship.
” So that at the end of the sensitization, they will be able to know if they are with somebody that is not right.
According to her, the school authorities were able to mobilise over 1,000 selected students to participate in the sentization exercise with the aim of educating them on the current trend of gender-based violence in society.
Earlier, one of the speakers, Dr. Amos Kadashi, of the Kadashi Initiatives said that based on his experience with adolescent girls and young people, they are passing through a lot of trauma.
He lamented that today even those that are supposed to protect these girls are the ones found guilty, saying, “fathers, brothers, uncles, etc have been found to have committed one form of gender-based violence or the other.
” So the sensitisation will help the girls to stand on their own if they are faced with danger, he declared.
To this end, he charged the young girls to always speak out when they are in danger so that help will come their way.
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