One in four girls and one in ten boys in Nigeria experience sexual abuse before they reach the age of 18.
The Cece Yara Foundation held the screening of its documentary titled ‘The Cece Yara Stories’ at the Filmhouse Cinemas IMAX, Lekki, on Sunday, October 27th 2019.
The evening saw a huge turnout of friends and avid supporters of the Cece Yara Foundation, who are passionate about bringing an end to the disturbingly increasing number of child sexual abuse cases in our nation today, and the world at large.
The documentary is a 2019 release, Cece Yara Foundation-funded, and groundbreaking feature-length film that explores the atrocity of child sexual abuse. It also focuses on the sexual abuse of underage boys by women and the importance of healing and speaking out for survivors to end the devastating effects.
It also highlights the need for members of the society to speak up against inappropriate behaviors towards children when noticed, and react responsibly once they perceive that a child is being sexually abused, or may be at the risk of being abused.
During the panel session that was held immediately after the screening, multiple award winning Neuro-Psychiatrist & Mental Health Advocate Dr Maymunah Kadiri emphasized on the need to listen to victims of abuse non-judgmentally as this is the beginning of the pathway to recovery.
The convener of this event, Mrs Bola Tinubu, who is the founder of The Cece Yara Foundation and is responsible for the strategic direction of the organization, stated in her speech that this documentary strikes her with two things. How brave the survivors are, to share their story with the society, and how much we still need to do as a society to curb this atrocity.
By joining the screening, supporters along with partners of The Cece Yara Fundation, and the nationwide advocacy community will spark a meaningful conversation about child sexual abuse and empower a movement of advocates to address this epidemic by supporting survivors on their path to freedom.
All proceeds of the documentary screening will go towards the foundation programs and also help raise more awareness around sexual assault and empowering survivors.
The Cece Yara Foundation is a child-centered non-profit organization established in 2016 to prevent child sexual abuse and to provide access to care, information protection, and emergency intervention for children who have experienced sexual abuse or who are at risk.
The Foundation provides psycho-social, legal and medical support for children through a 24-hour free child telephone helpline (0800 800 8001) and its child-friendly Child Advocacy Center based in Gbagada Lagos, at a time when government research estimates the occurrence of childhood sexual violence in Nigeria to be as high as one in four girls and one in ten boys. The Foundation is run and operated by Mrs. Bola Tinubu.
Ifeoma Okeke
