Group condemns spate of abuse of children with disabilities

FILE PHOTO

Disability Rights Advocacy Centre (DRAC), an NGO, has condemned what it called “spate of sexual abuse of children living with disabilities in Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Ms Irene Patrick-Ogbogu, the Executive Director of the group made this known at a news conference on Friday in Abuja.

She said that the alleged sexual abuse in School for the Blind, Jabi, Abuja, “is extremely disheartening.”

She added that “the act is reminiscent of the recent alleged sexual abuse in School for the Deaf, Kuje, Abuja.”

According to her, both schools lack child protection mechanism in spite of the vulnerability of the students.

“Obviously, there is no deliberate attempt to ensure that these children study in a conducive learning environment
protected from my form of abuse.

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“The continued abuse of children in special schools in the FCT by both staff and non-staff is inhumane and must be
stopped.”

She said that the dastardly act contravenes the laws which Nigeria is bound to uphold.

Patrick-Ogbogu said that the vulnerable children and students kept in the care of school authorities must
be protected.

She, therefore, called on government at all levels to enforce and implement the Child Rights Act and Disability Act,
which stipulate that the best interest of children with disabilities be given paramount consideration in all circumstances.

She said that the unchecked and unabated violence being meted out on the vulnerable group in the society must be
brought to an end by the government and stakeholders.

She reiterated the organisation’s commitment to protecting the rights of Persons with Disabilities (PWD), especially women and children.

She announced that the group had inaugurated a scheme to train students with disabilities in special and inclusive
schools to become ‘Peer Educators on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV)’.

This, she said, is to enlighten the vulnerable group and their peers on SGBV and on ways to identify a child
molester and how to report cases of abuse.

“The training is in response to our findings of the high rate of sexual abuse in special and inclusive schools
in the FCT”, she said.

S-Davies Wande