Initiative for Women and Girls Right Advancement (IWOGRA) on Wednesday, 21st September 2022 paid a Supportive Supervisory Visit to Catherina International Academy’s End Violence Against Girls (E-VAG) School Club. The activity was implemented with support from ActionAid Nigeria and had in attendance students and teachers at the school.
The engagement was done in a safe space, which gave the students (girls) the opportunity to express themselves and feel free to have an interactive conversation without fear.
Nkechi Obiagbaoso-Udegbunam, the Executive Director (ED) introduced herself and the IWOGRA staff and gave the opening remarks by welcoming the students. For the sake of the new members of the club, she introduced the organisation to them, explained why the club was established and commended the functionality of the school club. After all preliminary sessions of the club, she informed them that IWOGRA will like to engage them on the day’s session so as to have a conversation on sexual violence and exploitation using a transformative tool.
The conversation started with the ED enlightening the students on IWOGRA’s engagement with the school and how some of the girls have been engaging with IWOGRA through the club from the inception of the project and can testify to how educative and interesting the engagements has been.
The ED introduced the topic for discussion, “Sexual violence and exploitation of girls” and educated the girls on the importance of knowing and getting comfortable with their body, appreciating and accepting the uniqueness of their different body parts. She added that when they know their body, it will help protect and prevent them from violence and exploitation like rape, defilement, molestation, sexual harassment, abuse and exploitation.
To achieve full participation of all in the conversation, the ED further appealed with the girls to feel free and be comfortable and give a listening ear for the activity is meant to educate them and impact knowledge. The ED explained that so many girls have been sexually abused and molested because they do not know their body parts and the various functions of the body.
The body map tool was deployed, and the ED explained the purpose of the body map tool which she said is a tool that will enable them to understand their body parts and also the parts of the body that is prone to violence and exploitation. A participant volunteered to lay on a sheet and her body was mapped out. The girls were given sticky notes and markers to write the various body parts and were asked to label the body parts. The body parts labeled out includes, fingers, kneels, legs, toes, hands, stomach, anus, armpits, neck, belly button, ears, cheeks, breast, head, nose, neck, nipple, hair, hips, eyes, waist, vagina, tongue, elbows, mouth and waist.
The ED added that every girl suffers various forms of violence both from parents, uncles, Neighbours, aunties and teachers. She also enlightened the girls that their body is theirs and it can only be touched if they give consent to it but girls below the age of 18 cannot give consent to any sexual advances because the law prohibits such act. She explained why girls below the age of 18 cannot give consent to sexual acts and added that the consent they can give are those relating to someone seeking permission to help them dust off stains from the clothes they are wearing or remove something from their hairs, hands. It must be for good intentions.
To make them internalize the concept of sexual violence and exploitation, understanding their body parts and their names, she used the case of a 2-year-old girl who was sexually abused by their neighbor as an example. In the story, she explained how the little girl’s lack of knowledge of her body parts and how the sexual abuse resulting from forced penetration has caused lifetime health implications for the girl. She also encouraged the girls to learn how to voice out when they are being or have been molested or abused. The ED encouraged the girls to always speak up and break the silence on all forms of violence and exploitation. She told them not to be deceived by abusers that warn and threaten them not to report to anyone or get killed when they report. She added those threats are tactics used by the abusers to shut them up and continue to abuse them. She made the girls to chorus “Speak up!” and “Break the silence” many times. She appreciated the participants for their time, attention and participation throughout the activity, encouraged them to continue running the club and the activity was brought to an end.