The Hanan Buhari Foundation has expressed concerns over the increasing cases of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), stressing the need for the total eradication of all forms of stigmatization and abuse against survivors across the country.
Its founder Hannan Buhari, the daughter of President Mohammadu Buhari, made the call in Abuja at the weekend, during a sensitization outreach programme organized by the Smart Parenting Coaching Academy in Apo Dutse community on appropriate parenting and ending all forms of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in the society.
The programme is the first phase of the smart community outreach by the Smart Parenting Academy to support residents in some communalities in the FCT.
She said her foundation supported the academy to sensitise parents on the need to inculcate good moral values in their children, in view of the high cases of SGBV
“Good Parenting goes a long way and it is very important for parents and guardian to protect their children and teach them how to protect themselves.
“We are here to support the sensitization against sexual and gender based violence. Though we can’t do everything by ourselves that is why we are sensitizing the community to support in parenting our children,” she said.
Convener of the sensitization outreach and Founder, Smart Parenting Coaching Academy, Oluwatoyin Ogunkanmi, said the outreach was necessitated by the need to reduce the increasing number of GBV, rape , kidnapping cases in the community.
Ogunkanmi, who is also a psychologist, said the exercise would enable community members to speak with experts and be educated on SGBV, its effects, how to stop it and measures to ensure justice to curb the trend.
“The outreach is to help parents raise their children into becoming well-balanced and responsible individuals.
“We want reach out to people in the suburbs and everywhere on how to teach them how to raise their children to be well balanced individual and how to protect them from sexual molesters and predators.
” As parents, go out there today, take care of your children, be deliberate in raising them, right discipline, build the right character and values in them so that at the end of the day, they end up becoming responsible citizens in the society,” she said.
According to her, over 250 women and girls will benefits from food items, sanitary pads, therapeutic session, counselling amongst others in the community.
Earlier, an educationist and gender advocate, Irene Ugbah encouraged parents to ensure their children, especially the girl child access education to enable them have a source of livelihood, curb SGBV and contribute to national development.
She said: “We have a good number of out of school children in Nigeria, out of which 60 per cent are girls.
“So all hands need to be on deck to reduce it and ensure girls gets educated so that there is a future for them and for national nation.”
On her part, a family parenting coach and counsellor, Halima Abubakar, noted that ”Parenting in Nigeria used to be community based where all joined hands together to raise the children. She regretted that this practice no longer exists in the society.
“We are trying to change the narrative of what we see today to say that parenting is something that we all in the community need to put hands together to raise responsible and successful children.”
Speaking on behalf of the community, Mrs Omolara Olagbedo, Women Leader, expressed appreciation to the organisations for their support, enlightenment on education and parenting.
“We are happy with this organisation because they have enlightened us on the appropriate way of parenting our children and the value of education,” she said.
