A non-governmental organisation, Challenged Parenthood Initiative, (CPI) has bemoaned high cases of sexual abuse against boy- child in Kogi State.
The Executive Director of CPI Eunice Abimbola Agbogun,who disclosed this during the Pay Attention to Him (PATH) project in Lokoja,said one out of ten boys in kogi state is being sexually molested.
Agbogun stressed that, globally, one out of six Boys suffers from sexual abuse which is currently high and needs urgent attention.
She added that, over time, there has been sustained advocacy on issues around the Girl Child, while enough attention has not been given to that of the Boy Child.
She lamented that many boys in Kogi State and Nigeria in general have been sexually abused but under reported because of fear of intimidation and stigmatisation.
She explained that the PATH project was initiated to address molestation, sexual abuse and all manner of negative influence affecting the boy child.
“We do not want to lose our boy child completely, so we feel we can start something quickly. Now, it is time to start. Many people do not know that Boys are sexually abused on daily basis, thinking that it girls alone.The impression in the public is that, only girls, women are sexually abused, which is totally wrong and should be corrected before things get out of hand.
“From statistics, we have discovered that one out of every 10 boys before they turn 13 are sexually abused in Kogi and Nigeria in general. This is very high. One in six Boys globally are also sexually abused. That is a high statistic, so we need to pay attention and begin to do something drastically now.When boys are abused, they always maintain the culture of silence.
“This sensitisation now will help them to speak out. Just as before now, with the girl child, there has been a culture of silence, but because of advocacy, and sensitisation, People are more confident that they can cry for help.We need to balance the equation by shifting our attention to the Boy Child, so that we can nip this issue in the bud”.
To reduce sexual abuse against the boy child, she implored public spirited individual, government at all level to support the organisation in a bid to change the narrative that boys are the only perpetuators of violence.