Self defence against abuse – NGO trains Nigerian girls

Value Female Network, a non-governmental organization based in Osun State, has trained more than 350 girls in self-defence, particularly against rape.

The three-day “Adolescent Boot Camp” program is designed for adolescent girls living in hard-to-reach areas of the state and in communities with a high prevalence of female genital mutilation.

The programme, which had the theme: ‘Her Roles In Sustainability’, was held at the premises of Baptist High School in Gbodofon, Osogbo.

Addressing journalists on Saturday, the Executive Director of VFN, Costly Aderibigbe, said, “The programme was born to empower and train the girls, free of charge, on how to be useful in the society, know their rights, get empowered with life and vocational skills.

“The participants at the camp were also exposed to sexual and reproductive health and rights information. Also, during the camping, the girls were trained on how to defend themselves when faced with rape attempts.”

Speaking on sexual abuse and rape, the Executive Director, Stand To End Rape, Osowobi Oluwaseun, urged the participants to always avoid situations that would make them vulnerable to sexual assaults.

Oluwaseun asked the girls to always report attempts of rape and refrain from concealing the information.