Child molestation: Women protest in Abuja, seek stiffer penalty for offenders

Mothers of victims and other women on Saturday, stormed the streets of Abuja in protest of rising cases of child molestation in the country, urging the Federal Government to ensure that stiffer penalty is meted out to perpetrators of the heinous act.

The protesters under the aegis of “ABUJA MOMS” were united in their condemnation of the arcane attitude of some parents, uncles, relatives, and teachers, who chose to sexually abuse children they are supposed to protect.

The women who turned out in thousands for the protest walk against child molestation round the city of Abuja carried placards with different inscriptions such as: “Stop Child Molestation”, “Say No to Child Molestation”, “See Something, Say Something”, among others.

Founder of ABUJA MOMS, Mrs. Happiness Ani, said the mother’s resident in Abuja has decided to come out en masse to seek an end to child molestation in Nigeria.

Ani said ABUJA MOMS, with a membership of about 36,0000 women would not relent in the effort to see that Nigerian child is safe, secured and also get justice when molested.

She added that it was high time the mothers break the culture of silence and speak out on the evil that happens on a daily basis across the country.

She said: “When we came out like this last year hoping that this menace would have stopped but right now people are very proud to molest children.

ALSO READ: Anambra govt approves special academic calendar for flood prone areas

“They have not stopped. Children are being molested in churches, mosques, sometimes by teachers and school owners.

“This cry is to say that we are tired, we want our children to be safe and we want Abuja to hear us. We want mothers to know that it is okay to fight for their children; it is okay to cry out.

“Time has passed when people say to the mothers that it is a shame to make the public know because their children will be stigmatized when they know they were molested.

“Right now, we are saying to mothers, come out, let us know so that we can fight this evil together. We are saying that the Abuja Moms is ready to take it to the ends of the earth anytime a man or a woman is found to have molested any child,” she said.

She disclosed that the organisation has a legal team that is being deployed to fight the cases in court, disclosing that the challenge most often was for the mothers to speak and report the cases appropriately.

According to her, the walk was organised as part of activities marking the 2020 international women day.

A mother, Evangeline Iwenjiora, who said she was waiting for a judgment on the 5th of May, 2020 on a child molestation case could not hold back tears while speaking with journalists at the event.

She said it was agonizing to see one’s child going through such a traumatic experience of being raped and nothing really could be done “because when you say it, people will say you are lying”.

Iwenjiora called on the Federal Government to ensure that stiffer penalty is meted out to the offenders, while also urging the police to intensify efforts on the prosecution to serve as a deterrent to those who might think of committing the same crime.