Ogun Teenage Girls Protest Against Sexual Harassment
Teenage girls, between the ages of 11 and 17 years 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 in their hundreds were 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).
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The girls 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 around some streets in the Magada area of Ibafo to protest the menace of sexual harassment.
The Coordinator for the Ogun State project of PAVE, Damilola Oyetunji, while speaking with journalists, said the organisation, was concerned about the menace of harassment of young girls in the area.
She said it was disturbing, that young girls could not move freely in the community from 6:00 pm, without any harassment, adding that 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 the opposite sex.
