Stakeholders at a one day Sensitisation seminar organized by Bridge Inspire foundation [BIF] for Secondary school students in Adankolo area of Lokoja local government have advised students who are going through torment due to sexually abused to voice out as there is an enabling law to support them.
The Sensitisation seminar which was held in Lokoja, Kogi State capital attracted female secondary school students from Adankolo community while legal expert from FIDA, Community leaders led by Etsu Adankolo, resource persons and school counsellors made useful contributions which harped on the need for female students to be abreast with information that there is an existing law that protects them whenever they are socially abused, said they can report their tormentors to the appropriate quarters for appropriate actions.
They also advocated for the establishment of girls clubs in schools where information can easily reached the appropriate department from the students and safe guide their security.
They resource persons also advised female students to dress decently to avert being raped by their male counterparts insisting that a situation where girl students are dressed indecently is an invitation to rape and other social disaffection.
They resource persons both agreed that community leaders, vigilantees and local chiefs have great roles to play in advancing girl child education as most of the schools are situated in their domain and the protection of the female students who live in their communities.
The State coordinator of the foundation, Abdulkareem Onibehu in an address of welcome explained that the brain behind the Sensitisation seminar among other factors was to alert female students that there is a new law passed by the state House of Assembly to defend them whenever they face challenges from there male counterparts and communities in the course of their studies.
In his words; ” We look into our society and we discovered that there are lots of social vices perpetrated against the girl child and we decided to come up with this gathering to let our female students get information that kogi State government has a bill supporting their protection.”.
The foundation according to Abdulkareem Onibehu was set up to curb social abuses against female students which can frustrate the girl child education hence it nessecitated the invitation of resource experts to dialogue with the female students which will enable them to know their rights.