By Raphael Onyekachukwu
Young Women’s Christian Association of Nigeria, YWCA have united with religious and traditional leaders to mitigate harmful traditional practices against girl child in Nigeria especially in Enugu state.
The Association, had during a one day dialogue Seminar, held at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd Anglican Church, Enugu, educate over 100 students, made up of boys and girls drawn from various secondary schools in the state on issues concerning their reproductive health.
Students were educated on complications associated with unsafe abortion, early child marriage, HIV/AIDS amongst others.
Briefing newsmen on the essence of the meeting, Tuesday National President of the organization, Lady Barr. Chikwue Ochiagha, expressed dismay over the alarming rate of harmful traditional practices against the girl child, saying they were working hard to check the sad development.
She explained that the YWCA Nigeria decided to put together the event with a view to using the religious, Faith and Culture platforms to get to the grass roots, adding that they wanted to develop a partnership that would assist them in the campaign against harmful practices on women.
According to her, part of the aim of the seminar was to teach the
young children how they would avoid some harmful practices like unsafe abortion that could destroy their reproductive health in future.
Lady Ochiagha, further hinted that so many of the children were not aware that they are some practices that they could indulge in now without knowing that those practices will affect their joy in future.
Her words:“A good number of them may not appreciate that what they do now will affect their joy in future. We must tell the child that it through sexual intercourse that that you can get pregnant” she stated.
She expressed regrets that some parents instead of teaching
their children about reproductive health would resort to telling them that they can get pregnant when somebody touches them, stressing that there was need to tell the children the truth.
The YWCA boss, stated that the Young Women,s Christian Association is present in 18 states of the federation including the Federal Capital
Territory, Abuja.
While assuring that the organization would continue to partner different platforms to spread their message, she averred that they have been working in three communities in Enugu State since two years ago.
According to her, since they came to Enugu State, they have been training young girls, adding that young girls {Champions} after their training go back to their schools and other areas to spread the message.
Also speaking, an Anglican cleric, vulnerable Emeka Ezeji commended the Young Women Christian Association for organizing the seminar, saying
the Christian faith in particular was worried about harmful
traditional practices against the girl child.
He used the opportunity to correct the impression that any girl without Genital Mutilation “would not get married or that if she gets married, she would be promiscuous”.
Vulnerable Ezeji said he has come across women, who despite the fact they did genital mutilation, have continued to behave like prostitutes.
He advocated a society where boys and girls would be respected, calling on women groups to rise up and ensure that perpetrators of harmful practices against are prosecuted.
One of the participants, Faithful Ngozika, who spoke to reporters,
thanked The Young Women Christian Association for organizing the event, saying the seminar answered most of the questions she wanted to ask.
Miss Ngozika, a JSS student of St Bartholomew Secondary, Asata, Enugu promised to take the massage to her school and other areas in the state.
