Lukman Olabiyi
The president of Break the Silence Initiative Nigeria (BSIN), Mrs. Phoebe D. Awange, has raised the alarm over the increase in child molestation and drugs abuse in Nigeria.
Awange stated that, in Nigeria, 25% of adolecesents experience sexual abuse before age 15.
Citing data on the effects of the menace and the contributions of her group to help government in educating and supporting victims, at first anniversary and fund raising event for the organisation’s campaign against the menace in Lagos, said: “UNICEF’s report indicated that six out of every 10 children experience some form of violence. One in four girls and 10% of boys have been victims of sexual violence.
Available data showed that the violence more often comes from adults, and 31.4 % of the victims said their first sexual encounter was rape.
“Besides, on the pedestal, the statistics in the National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) report stated that over 25% of adolescents in Nigeria often experience sexual abuse at the age 15. One in seven persons between ages of 15 and 65 years had used drugs that are not tobacco or alcohol. The past year, NDHS also show that, among four drug users in Nigeria, one is a woman.”