Nasir Students Sensitized on Social Vices

As child abuse cases are becoming so rampant in the Upper River Region, ranging from rape, child exploitation, sexual harassment, early and forced marriages, among others. And as the menace had rung a bell, stakeholders recently embarked on a massive sensitisation campaign, targeting schools with a view to sensitising them. 

The region’s social welfare officer, the youth and sports coordinator and some youth activitists have taken the lead to sensitise and discus on how to eliminate negative social vices affecting the region.

The recent sensitisation of this kind was held at the Nassir Ahmadiyah Senior Secondary School. 

Speaking at a meeting held at the school’s assembly hall, the social welfare officer, Kebba Jatta underscored the importance of the sensitisation. He said for the past years, a lot of children had one way or the other been victims of child abuse in the region, describing it as something unacceptable.

While noting that such things will never be compromised as it is against the laws of the country, he said, most of these negative social vices that are happening in the region occured in our own communities.

He then urged students to take up their education with seriousness and to always report such kind of issues to the relevant authorities.

With the region recording the highest number of child abuse cases this year, Jatta urged the communities, particularly students to remove the culture of silence and to always report perpetrators to the police.

 “As students you owe obligation to the country and the community at large, therefore your participation to end this threat is important as almost all the rape cases that occured in the region this year involves students,” he remarked. He then advised girl-students against what he described as materialism, which he noted, is one way of becoming victims of child abuse.

Recalling the ugly rape case that occured in the region involving a one-year-old girl sometime last year, Jatta said, concerted efforts are needed to stamp out the episode in the regionn. 

For his part, the regional youth and sports coordinator, Fabakary Sanneh dwelt on the significance of the forum, thus urging collective responsibility from all stakeholders to end child abuse and heinous crimes in the region. He urged them to change their mindset and participate meaningfully towards national development crusade. 

“Don’t allow being influenced by peers, and as students you have a stake to play towards the development of our region and our country at large,” he said, as he implored them to do things that are in line with development aspirations.

Commenting on the rampant heinous crimes  occurring in the region, the regional youth and sport coordinator urged young people in URR to change their attitude and to make use of the opportunities provided for them by the government of The Gambia.

Momodou AH Bah, a youth activist who also spoke at the event, expressed similar sentiments.  “Taking into account that currently most of the heinous crimes that occured in the region involve young people,”  he urged them to leave up to expectations and support government’s development agenda.

The head girl of the school, Mbajalang Fofana commended the stakeholders for creating the awareness, as she urged her collogues to disseminate the information to others.