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Ozioma Onyenweaku
In one of my recent articles, I drew attention to the fact that the boy child also needs protection from sexual abuse. It is often misconstrued that the girl child is the only victim of child sexual abuse. In that article, CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE: THE BOY CHILD TOO NEEDS PROTECTION, I stated that:
“The truth of the matter is that as many boys as girls are sexually molested. The sexual abuses in which the boys are the victims are the least reported. Yet they go through all the mental, psychological and emotional trauma silently to the greater harm of their overall health and welfare. Sexual abuse affects the males as much the same way it affects the female. The torture is not gender defined. One unique point in the case of sexual abuse of the male child is that the perpetrators are mostly males. There are only very few female abusers of the male child.”
I equally drew attention to the prevalence of sexual abuses in boys’ dormitories.
“One area we must pay particular and urgent attention to now is the Boy’s Boarding Schools. A lot of the junior ones are going through nasty experience of sexual abuse in the dormitories at the hands of the senior male students.”
The case of Don Davis brought home the point I have been making that we must as a matter of importance do a check on the boys’ dormitories in schools.
Don Davis case is one of many cases. Believe you me. I pray that this case of Don Davis will awake the needed consciousness in all of us to pay attention to what goes on in dormitories. I was highly disappointed at the turn the matter was taking. I baffled at the school authorities’ choice of the image of the school over the mental and emotional torture of the boy victim.
I strongly salute the courage of the victim’s mother for not allowing herself be intimidated by anyone. How many parents would boldly so stand! That’s why a lot of our children are going through mental and emotional deformity.
Thanks also to social media, and the general outcry condemning the act. If the victim’s mother is not so courageous that would have been one case swept under the carpet. A lot of child sexual abuses go on in schools, in churches and at home; and such are not allowed to be heard outside because the ‘reputation’ of the family, the church and school must be protected.
Let this serve as a wake-up call for parents and school authorities. Schools should ensure the safety of children from abuse. Parents must carry out due diligence check on the schools they want to send their children to. Make no mistake about it. I have to repeat here that report has shown that sexual abuse is the underlining factor in the depression and suicidal attempt of some male children. They feel the hurt; they go through the trauma and nightmare, and cannot even voice it out; and no one seems to notice. They fall into depression and then attempt suicide.
Well, I read with interest the statement from the authorities of Deeper Life High school that investigations into the Don Davis case have commenced.
“We want to assure the general public that investigations into the case have commenced and no culprit, whether staff or student will be spared if found culpable… As an interim measure and to underscore the seriousness we attach to higher superintending values, the school principal has been suspended summarily even as further investigations continue; and result of the investigation will be made public”
I am cool to quote them here because we are holding them to their words. Yes, we await the result of the investigation. We cannot continue toying with the mental health of our children.
It will do us a lot of good if other schools can key into this and do an underground check on their own dormitories now. It is not going to be business as usual. We must understand that schools, in admitting these children into the dormitory, have undertaken to ensure their safety at all times while there. Schools must wake up to this responsibility.