By Silver Nwokoro
Leadership Initiative For Youth Empowerment (LIFE) has called for the urgent integration of comprehensive sexuality education as a critical measure to combat the rising rate of unsafe abortions in Nigeria.
The organisation made this call during a press briefing to announce its ongoing projects aimed at amplifying the voices of female survivors of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) with the theme “’Scaling-up Leadership of Female Survivors for Effective Gender-Based Violence Response and Access to Justice in Oshodi-Isolo.’
The 32-month project with the support of the African Women Development Fund (AWDF) seeks to improve protection mechanisms for women and girls against sexual and gender-based violence through the provisions of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act of 2015.
LIFE’s initiative ultimately aims to reduce the number of people dying or suffering from complications due to unsafe abortion practices.
Its Executive Director, Abiodun Rufus-Unegbu, emphasised the power of education in equipping young people with the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions regarding their sexual and reproductive health.
She pointed out that misinformation and cultural myths passed down by parents and communities often mislead young people.
“Some of us were told growing up that if a boy touches you after menstruation, you get pregnant; when that doesn’t happen, curiosity takes over. That’s why giving young people the truth is so important,” she said.
Rufus-Unegbu stressed that while abstinence remains a strong preventive option, it is not realistic for everyone.
LIFE Crisis Care Coordinator, Laura Moore, highlighted the significance of sensitisation on unsafe abortions. She said psychosocial support is paramount to help survivors heal mentally after a traumatic experience.
Supporting this stance, LIFE Team Lead, Mokwe Oluwatoyin, added that the organisation seeks to address the root causes of unsafe abortion, chiefly unintended pregnancy.
She highlighted the role of religion and cultural bias in limiting access to family planning and sexuality education.
