Teenage Girls Protest S*xual Harassment

Teenage girls, between the ages of 11 and 17 years in large numbers, on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest in Magboro, Obafemi/Owode LGA of Ogun State, against “s*xual harassment”.

Gatekeepers News reports that they held placards and banners with sentences like “Let Girls walk in Peace”, “It’s just a criminal”, “S*xual harassment is not fun”, “It is a crime and you will be punished by the law”, “Street harassment is not a compliment”, “Say no to s*xual harassment “ “Stop them before they stop you” and so on inscribed on them.

The teenagers who wore white T-shirts staged the protest under the auspices of “Platform for Amplifying the Voice and Empowerment of Girls (PAVE).

They were mobilised by a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), HACEY in partnership with Empower for the Platform for Amplifying the Voice and Empowerment of Girls (PAVE) project.

The girls moved around some streets in the Magada area of Ibafo to protest the crime of “s*xual harassment”.

The Coordinator for the Ogun State project of PAVE, Damilola Oyetunji who spoke to journalists said the organisation is concerned about the menace of harassment of young girls in the area.

She said it is disturbing, that young girls cannot move freely in the community at 6:00 pm, without being harassed.

Oyetunji noted that many young girls had been raped, leading to cases of unwanted pregnancies.

She said the rally aimed to sensitise girls on how they can take care of themselves and how to relate with the opposite s*x.

The coordinator added that the organisation also takes awareness to girls in their schools for the same reason.

A registered birth attendant, Mrs. Mercy Olatunde, who also spoke to the journalists, also stated that many girls in the area have suffered harassment from street boys, lamenting that girls cannot move freely in the area.

She noted that she has handled several cases of teenage pregnancies with many of them without a responsible spouse.

The coordinator further commended the NGO for organising the rally and urged parents to take good care of their girls.

She also advised them to avoid exposing ythem to things that can cause them to be raped for their future will not be jeopardised.