Evangelist MAY HOMA EMMA OBI is the President of Precious Heart Initiative in Port Harcourt, a Nongovernmental organization that focus on Child Sexual Exploitation. At a recent conference on Child Sexual organized by THE JOSE FOUNDATION Samuel Oyejola engaged her at a recent event on Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) on issues on Women in Church Leadership and CSE. Excerpts.
What is the take home from this conference on CSE?
So much has been said over the days and it is quite interactive. Learning never ends. For anything to be achieved it is usually a collective responsibility. For every family, school, and community has to be involve in speaking against child sexual exploitation. I am a witness to one and I decided that I will speak out.
When we as mothers and fathers do not speak out for our children then we have not done anything. They will do so much when we have not done our bid. Our bid starts from the home front. The children must know who they are, what they should do at all times and who not to touch them. There is a campaign there that is “touch me not”. Don’t let your child sits on anyone’s lap.
That is a common culture in Nigeria; as a small girl, someone sees you and calls you, “my wife”, someone sees you and calls you to come and sit on his lap. These are wrong values. We are going to cry out about it and we are going to let them know that this is a wrong value. From the home front, we need to teach our children the right values.
What is the level of implementation of CSE in Rivers State?
River state is not exempted. What we are asking is implementation in all states. What we want is the right being implemented in all states. We always hear it is a man’s world. They are more concerned about family name. As a victim of CSE who want to seek redress in the appropriate quarters, people may mount pressure on you to stop because of your family’s image and name. They tell you that if you get the justice how are you going to manage tomorrow?
The issue is if we get the child rights law implemented, it will reduce the act of abusing girl child. We are asking that it should be implemented. Immediately it is implemented it is going to go on the decrease. When the child that is abused gets judgment, the offender is named and shamed.
What is your advice for the federal and state government with regards to Child Sexual Exploitation?
We believe that with the collaboration of all stakeholders will not relent on the matter, a communiqué has been issued and it will get across to the Federal Government.
There is the believe that the girl child has more attachment with the mother, your take?
I have a problem with the myth in tradition. All my children are close to me and their father. They have access to me and they can talk to me as they can to their father. I don’t know about other people’s home but sometime it has to do with the traditional means but we have to break all that. In my house they have equal rights of communication with me and with their father.
