By Ankeli Emmanuel (In Sokoto State)
Those perpetrating Violence Against Women and Girls, (VAWG) Gender Based Violence (GBV) and other Harmful Practices (HP) against humanity have lost their moral compass and consciousness, Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development has said.
The Foundation who spoke at Sultan Bello Secondary School, through its Programme Officer, Malam Musa Galadanchi, during a one day sensitization on Gender and Social Norms for boys and girls in selected secondary schools
Galadamchi in his opening remarks, said they are in the school to sensitize children on the horrifying experiences such as rape, sodomy or harmful and cultural practices meted out to boys and girls by people who have lost their humanity.
Galadamchi while noting that those perpetrators have lost their moral compass, consciousness, values and social worth, added that destroying women is as bad as destroying the whole society.
This, Galadanchi observed, was because women are the ones that take care of the moral upbringing of the children who are the future of any nation.
"Defiling one girl or a woman is destroying the entire society as the bitter experience will continue to linger in their minds. Women who are bitter with the society over how the same society allow brainless and useless human beings to defile them, will continue to be unhappy and place curses on the land. But when we protect our women, girls, boys and all the vulnerable, we are protecting the society".
Speaking on his part, the Principal of Sultan Bello Secondary School, Malam Ahmed Bello, thanked the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development for ensuring timely sensitization of their children towards putting an end to issues of GBV, VAGW and HP.
The Principal who thanked all donor agencies for their continued concern for humanity, however appealed for more relationship between the school and the Sultanate Council.
Giving reasons for his plea, the Principal said the secondary school was named after the first Sultan of Sokoto. He added that other schools named after Sultan's were to immortalize them hence the need to care for such legacies.
Addressing participating students, the resource person, Malam Zayyanu Altine, stressed that having a society free of molestation is very possible with the right orientation and adequate punitive measures in place for perpetrators. NNL.
