As part of the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP), an intervention group has educated more than 120,000 students in 91 secondary schools across the state to avoid all forms of gender-based violence, including sexual harassment, bullying, and child abuse, in an effort to improve society.
This was stated in a statement provided to journalists over the weekend by OGSTEP Communication Officer Mrs. Simbo Olayinka.
During the sensitization tour at Ijebu Ode, Mrs. Mosunmola Owoodunsi, the project coordinator, said that the goal of the intervention program was to educate secondary school students about the support services available in cases of harassment.
The Project Coordinator, who was represented by Mr. Fatai Osunsanya, the Project Manager for the Skills Development Sector within the project, disclosed that the sensitization visit was the fourth phase because the team had already visited Remo, Egba, and Yewa Blocs earlier this year.
Owoodunsi encouraged the understudies to evade each type of orientation based viciousness like assault and harassing, and report same unafraid to the sexual and attack reference focuses through devoted telephone numbers made accessible to them.
As per her, the reference places are situated in every one of the three senatorial regions of the State and had been furnished with clinical specialists, clinical clinicians, Advisors, Legal counselors and other prepared staff who go to immediately to calls and guarantee that survivors are placed in the groove again at no expense.
On his part, the Chief for Instruction Science and Innovation, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu addressed by the Chief, Schooling Backing Administrations, Mrs. Bamidele Makinde bemoaned the such a large number of instances of unreported instances of lewd activities and harassing because of slander.
Mrs. Makinde, on the other hand, went on to say that Ogun State is very concerned about the rights of children and will not let up until these vices are completely eradicated in the state.
She used the numbers on the stickers that were given to each student to encourage them to speak up.
Mrs. Ewajesu Fasina, a gender specialist who led the OGSTEP team on the tour, advised the students not to be intimidated, noting that the majority of assailants threaten survivors with harm in order to keep their identities a secret.
According to Mrs. Fasina’s explanation, having sex with someone under the age of 18 is a criminal offense in the state.
However, she cautioned the students against engaging in any kind of sexual harassment because the perpetrators would be remanded in the state’s juvenile correctional facilities. She also advised them to refrain from dressing inappropriately and from walking alone at night to prevent sexual harassment.
Delegates of the understudies of Ijebuode Language structure School, Ijebu Ife People group Syntax School, Itele Secondary School, Anglican Young ladies Punctuation School, Exhaustive Secondary School Ijebu Ife and Local area Sentence structure School Ijebu Ife alternated to see the value in the OGSTEP group and the State Government for the visit, saying it had edified them and given them boldness on how best to deal with instances of lewd behavior.
Ahmadiya High School Oni, Ibiade Community High School in Ibi Ade, Saint Kizito High School in Iwopin, Ogun Waterside, and Ibiade Comprehensive High School in Ibi Ade were among the other schools visited.
Osoosa Comprehensive High School, Osoosa, Ogbogbo Baptist Grammar School, Molusi College, Ijebu Igbo, Molipa College, Ijebu Ode, and Multilateral Grammar School, Okun Owa, among others, were among the other schools visited.
