Violence against children: Gombe parliament seeks end to culture of silence

Speaker Gombe state children parliament, Umar Faruk, has called for an end to the culture of silence against violence against children in the state.

Faruk made the appeal in an interview with Blueprint on the sidelines of a meeting of Civil Society organisations (CSOs) and Media in Gombe state Thursday.

The meeting was organised by Save the Children International (SCI) with support from the government of the Netherlands.

Farouk said the increasing rate of rape and other violent acts against children in Gombe state had made it imperative for such a call.

He said it should no longer be business as usual as the culture of silence has given perpetrators of violent acts against children give more room to carry out their “wicked acts.”

“This is the time to act by speaking up to expose all forms of wickedness against children in Gombe. Parents and societies must stand up to protect their children,” the speaker said.

The speaker stated that the high level of stigmatisation associated with violence against children contributed to the culture of silence in the state.

He charged communities in the state to ensure that such a culture of silence was jettisoned while encouraging their people to speak up to safeguard the future of Gombe children.

Also, Hajia Zariyatu Abubakar, coordinator, Better Life for Girls, CSOs Platform, Gombe state, said the culture of silence posed a serious challenge to fight against sexual violence.

“This is a serious issue for us in the state because the tradition and culture give room for this silence. When vices are perpetrated against girls and women, many of them do not have the courage to speak up because of this aspect of tradition and culture that promote silence.

“Sometimes society presents it as if you brought it upon yourselves when you are violated and you speak up. This should not be,” she said.

Abubakar stated that some communities hold the belief that women and girls are to be seen and not heard.

While charging communities to encourage people to speak up, she warned that any society that keeps quiet has “become enablers of violence against women and girls.”

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