The Cece Yara foundation, Nigeria’s flagship
advocacy organization in line with its aim and vision to effectively
tackle the menace of child sexual abuse is set to open the doors of its
ultra-modern relief and support centre in Lagos.
In recent times
research has shown that the incidence of child sexual abuse in Nigeria
is growing exponentially, statistics precisely state that one in four
girls and one in ten boys experienced sexual violence before 18. As a
response to these alarming figures, the establishment of the Cece Yara
foundation has been a major breakthrough in the fight against child
exploitation and sexual abuse. The Cece Yara foundation believes that
childhood should be a phase of purity and complete innocence, a period
when the character of an individual is formed. The phrase ‘Cece Yara’
means ‘Save the child’ in the Hausa language.
The founder, Bola Tinubu,
a lawyer and a staunch advocate for children, believes that the future
of every child, regardless of gender, race or social background, should
be preserved. She is undauntedly ready to take on the fight against
sexual abuse amongst children thus her drive and motivation for
establishing and running the NGO.
The Cece Yara Child Advocacy Centre
provides a warm, safe and friendly shelter where survivors will be
comfortable enough to rise above whatever experience they have been
through. Having taken into cognizance the major problems which could
arise from child sexual abuse, the centre is equipped with state of the
art facilities tailored to assist the psychological and physical healing
process of the survivor with a fully operational 24-hour hotline ready
to cater to those in distress.
The foundation strives to put in
place programs and campaigns aimed at preventing child sexual abuse,
raising awareness on the issue and also giving the children a voice and a
support system. The activities and successes of this organization are
laudable and truly encouraging. One of the foundation’s recent
accomplishments was getting justice for a 6-year-old girl who was
sexually violated by an adult male. The accused was detained and charged
to court in October 2016. On Thursday, February 16th, 2017, the Cece
Yara foundation claimed justice for the victim and the accused was
sentenced to seven years imprisonment without the option of fine.
The
Cece Yara foundation played a pivotal role in bringing the sex offender
to book while providing legal support and psychological healing to the
‘survivor’ and her parents, through its Victim Advocacy Program.
The victory serves as a deterrent to perpetrators of child sexual abuse
in the country and a source of succor to survivors and their families.
The centre will be opened officially to the public on Sunday, March 19th, 2017.
The Child Advocacy Centre is located at 2A, Akin Ogunmade Davies Street, Gbagada phase 2.
“…Our
vision is to create a safe and happy childhood for every Nigerian child
– free from sexual abuse and with easy access to care, information,
protection and emergency intervention.” – Bola Tinubu
Follow our various social media handles:
Twitter: @cece_yara
Instagram: @cece_yara
Instagram: @cece_yara
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