Group stresses intimacy between parents, children as panacea to child abuse

A Lagos-based group, Christianah Fate Foundation, has stressed the need for an intimate relationship between children and their parents as panacea to the incessant cases of child abuses now prevalent in the society.

Speaking on the theme, Our Children, our future: Child Sexual Abuseí, at a workshop organised by the Beautiful Beginning School, Magodo, Lagos, the director of the foundation, Christianah Akindolie, urged parents to interact with their children to foster intimacy,†understanding and trust.

Akindolie further suggested preventive measures to put an end to cases of child abuse in our society, including educating children about the privacy of certain parts of the body which nobody must touch and suggested empowering the child to know these parts of the body properly and not by pet names. Adding that, children must also be encouraged to ëtalk without stoppingí, when they had an encounter with a predator, until they received help.

Also speaking, proprietor of the school and organiser, Olubunkola Ogunleye, emphasised on concerted efforts on the parts of parents and government to bring to book culprits. Ogunleye also stated that, it was her love for children and as educationist and concern over cases of child abuse in the society that informed organising the workshop.