Lokoja: A non-profit organisation, Olugbemisola Daramola Child Care Foundation (ODCCF), has announced that it has sensitised more than 600 pupils from Kogi on proactive measures against child abuse and kidnapping.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Mrs Olugbemisola Osagiede-Daramola, the founder of ODCCF, shared this information during an interview in Lokoja. The pupils, drawn from four primary schools in Yagba West Local Government Areas, including the three streams of ECWA Primary Schools, Odo-Ere, and Universal Basic Education Primary School, Ejiba, participated in the program aimed at equipping them with child protection techniques.
Mrs Osagiede-Daramola explained that the initiative was driven by the increasing threats of child abuse and kidnapping in the area, making it essential to equip children with practical safety measures. As a social worker and specialist in child protection, she emphasized teaching the pupils how to identify danger signs and respond appropriately by shouting, fleeing, and reporting suspicious individuals.
The program highlighted the importance of body safety, instructing pupils to reject and report inappropriate touches. Children were also advised to move in groups after school, avoid secluded areas, and only leave premises with a trusted adult. This initiative is part of ODCCF’s long-term commitment to child safety and protection in the state.
Mrs Osagiede-Daramola called on the Kogi Government to enhance its child protection mechanisms and collaborate with private organizations. She advocated for reintegrating out-of-school children into the academic system with incentives like free meals and textbooks and stressed legal consequences for parents promoting child labor and early marriage.
The event featured motivational educational songs and visual manuals to help the children retain the safety strategies they learned.