‘It’s deeply distressing’ — NGO trains teachers, caregivers how to handle cases of child abuse

The Cece Yara Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that focuses on child care and protection, has trained educators on ways of providing care to sexual violence survivors. 

The organisation, in collaboration with Cummins West Africa, trained over 200 educators and caregivers in Kosofe LGA of Lagos on best practices for safeguarding children from abuse.

Detutu Ajibodu, chief executive officer (CEO) of the foundation, said the training was aimed to provide educators with crucial skills and strategies to identify as well as how to respond effectively to instances of child abuse.

“We all know that educators and teachers play a very vital role in the lives of children. I could say that children spend more time with their teachers than their parents,” she said. 

“So we found the need to equip the teachers with the tools they require to attend to cases of sexual abuse when they come across them. The idea is to let them know how to come from a place of empathy. 

“Many people don’t know where to report cases of abuse. Many people don’t know where to start. Some people don’t know organisations like ours exist or even how to protect children. We believe with the knowledge from this training they would get to know who, where, and how to handle the cases when they come. 

“Child abuse is a deeply distressing issue affecting countless children worldwide, and educators must be well-informed and equipped to identify and respond to any signs of abuse.”

On her part, Adebisi Ajayi, chief operations officer (COO) of the foundation and facilitator, said teachers, parents and guardians needed to be sensitive to strange signs and attitudes displayed by children.

She also said quick response and report are very important to save the child’s life, adding that not reporting cases of abuse or violence is an offence under the law. 

“One of the dynamics of child sexual abuse of course is secrecy. Only the perpetrators and the victims are witnesses, so avoid children being alone not just physically but also digitally, ” she said. 

Ajayi further urged participants to “report sexual abuse and other offences to the police, Lagos state ministry of education, and social determinants to avoid future occurrences and protection”. 

One of the participants, Oluwapelumi Oyenisan,  an educator from Kosofe district,  said the training was an eye-opener,  adding that educators have a huge role to play in the protection of children against all forms of abuse. 

“As educators, we have so much in our hands to do. We have to protect the children regardless of where they’re from, their gender, or their age. As long as we’re in the same school, they see us as our protectors, ” Oyenisan said. 

“So, we need to let the children know the necessary things to do and give them godly and good advice.”