Teenage girls protest again sexual harassment in Ogun

By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta

Teenage girls, between the ages of 11 and 17 years in their hundred on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest in Magboro, Obafemi/Owode local government area of Ogun State, against what they described as sexual harassment.

The protesting girls, armed with placards and banners with various inscriptions, such as: “Let Girls walk in Peace”; It’s just a criminal: Sexual 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 sexual harassment “; Stop them before they stop you”; among others.

The girls staged the protest under the auspices of “Platform for Amplifying the Voice and Empowerment of Girls (PAVE)

The girls who put on white T-shirt, 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. They moved round some streets in Magada area of Ibafo to protest the menace of sexual harassment.

Speaking with newsmen, the Coordinator for Ogun State project of PAVE, Damilola Oyetunji, said the organisation, was concerned about the menace of harassment of young girls in the area.

She said it was disturbing, that young girls cannot move freely in the community from.6:00pm, without any harassment.

Oyetunji lamented that many young girls had been reportedly raped leading to cases of unwanted pregnancies.

She said the rally was organised to sensitise girls on how they can take care of themselves and to know how to relate with opposite sex.

She said the NGO also take awareness to girls in their schools in order to sensitise them on how to take care of themselves as girls.

Speaking with journalists during the protest, a registered birth attendant, Mrs. Mercy Olatunde, said many girls in the area have suffered harassment from street boys, lamenting that girls cannot move freely in the area.

Mrs. Olatunji said as birth attendant, she had handled several cases of teenage pregnancies with many of them without a reliable spouse.

While commending the NGO for organising the rally, Mrs. Olatunji called on parents to take good care of their girls and avoid exposing them to what can cause them to be raped so that their future will not be jeopardised.