Advocacy group ends campaign against sexual abuse, child molestation

The Community for Sexual Abuse Prevention, Advocacy and Response (SPAR Community) has launched an awareness initiative tagged ‘Break the Cycle Campaign’ to tackle the culture of silence, institutional neglect, and cultural practices that allow sexual abuse and child molestation to thrive in Nigeria.

The group said the campaign, which ran for 30 days between July and August 2025, was designed to confront long-standing issues of denial and complicity in cases of abuse and to encourage open conversations about prevention, accountability, and survivor support.

According to the World Health Organisation, one in four girls and one in nine boys globally have suffered sexual abuse at some point in their lives, a figure SPAR Community described as “deeply troubling and reflective of realities in Nigerian homes, schools, and places of worship.”

In a statement made available to reporters, the organisation noted that its engagements with children in schools, churches, and on the streets revealed that abuse is far more widespread than publicly acknowledged.

The group lamented that families, communities, and institutions often look away or shield perpetrators, thereby enabling abuse to continue.

“Too often, nothing is done, and when something is done, it is rarely enough. We see how the absence of safeguarding policies makes it easier for abuse to continue,” the group stated.

It further explained that the ‘Break the Cycle Campaign’ was designed as a recurring public education exercise that will spotlight survivor stories, challenge harmful traditions, and provide tailored sex education materials for children, parents, and caregivers.

For the pilot edition, survivors shared their personal experiences of sexual abuse and child molestation through social media platforms, while SPAR Community amplified the stories with sex education tips, safety strategies, and awareness content.

Speaking during the campaign, founder and team lead of SPAR Community, Peace Agada, said the initiative was inspired by the silence and denial she witnessed in her work with children and young adults.

She said, “We launched this campaign to shed light on survivors’ experiences and show, in practical ways, how abuse happens and what can be done to prevent it. Each time we return with this campaign, we will continue to teach, to show, and to speak until silence is no longer the default response to abuse.”

Agada stressed that while the pilot phase focused on awareness creation, future editions will expand to policy advocacy, grassroots training on safeguarding, and collaboration with schools and faith-based organisations to establish preventive structures.

She added that the organisation remains committed to breaking the cycle of silence around abuse, ensuring that survivors are heard, and building a culture of accountability within Nigerian communities.

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