More than four hundred students participated in this year’s Safeguarding and Child Protection Day organised by the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, DSVA.
The event with the theme “My Body Belongs To Me” was supported by the Joint EU, UN-funded Spotlight Initiative, with technical support from UNFPA.
Speaking at the event, the Secretary to State Government Mrs Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin said that the Lagos State Government aims to create ‘Child safe’ environments, where children are respected, protected, empowered and participate in their protection, whilst ensuring all staff are skilled, confident, competent, and well supported in meeting their protection responsibilities as engraved in the THEMES Plus agenda.
“The children and youths are not just the future of Lagos State and Nigeria, they are major stakeholders and useful resources in nation building and they must be fully protected by their parents, guardians and the Government for them to fulfill that goal.
“Growing concerns about abused children that often result in mental issues and suicidal thoughts among others now require that parents must all be on guard, stressing that research according to statistics carried out by State in partnership with other relevant Agencies showed that 1 out of every 6 children is abused at tender ages, programs like this will help in the quest to fight the growing trend of Rape Culture in primary and secondary schools in Lagos State.”
Salu-Hundeyin called on parents, guardians, and teachers to foster stronger and closer ties with their children and wards to enable them to open up when issues of abuse arise.
Collective fight
The Executive Secretary DSVA, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi maintained that the Agency was engaging all arms of government and sectors in a bid to rid the State of all forms of sexual violence and abuse, stressing that it was critical for a collective fight in the quest to end all forms of Gender Based Violence.
Vivour-Adeniyi said that the Agency in partnership with all relevant organizations will continue to engage, inform, and encourage the youths on their rights and the need to jealously protect their rights at all times and in all places.
According to her, “Under the Child’s Rights Law of Lagos State, a Child has the right to Life, survival, and balanced development; a name and registration at birth; dignity and respect; privacy, family life and parental care and protection.
“The Nation’s Child Rights Laws also state that every child is entitled to the best attainable state of physical, mental, and spiritual health including the right to dignity and freedom from discrimination and abuse.”
She urged students to come out and talk and not be hurt in silence or be ashamed to speak up whenever issues of any form of sexual abuse arise.
“Call our Toll free line at 08000-333-333. Your needed help is just a call away,“ she added.
