Queen Moremi of Ile- Ife,Osun, Miss Blessing Animasahun, has attributed the incessant cases of rape of underage girls by their male counterparts and adults to frustration caused by unemployment, peer influence,lack of parental care and the quest for sudden wealth.
Animasahun, winner of the 2016 maiden Moremi Ajasoro Beauty Pageant, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the rising spate of rape in the country was alarming.
“As a medical personnel; I have been able to interact with several youths during my visits to some prisons and discovered from them that emotional and psychological imbalances as well as peer influences were responsible for their actions,’’ she said.
She also said that some adults indulged in the rape of underage girls and child abuse allegedly for ritual purposes or an attempt to become wealthy overnight
She said that the struggle and campaign to end the vice should be a collective responsibility of both the government, parents, religious and non-governmental bodies for it to have an immediate solution.
Queen Moremi advised both the government and the organized private sector to provide employment opportunities for our youths where they could dissipate their energies positively.
According to her, a lazy man’s brain is the devil’s workshop but when youths are positively engaged, they will not think of indulging in any negative ventures.
She also advised parents to always provide care for their children so that they would not join bad companies where they would imbibe negative influences
Queen Moremi advised the society to report cases of rape involving adults to the relevant security agencies for prosecution instead of indulging in the culture of silence over such.
The queen said that her concern for upholding child’s rights and the girl-child in particular prompted her into working on the challenges associated with rape and child abuse as her pet project.
“As an activist, I am concerned about some the challenges associated with the youth such as rape and child abuse which have become a recurring menace and affecting moral standards.
“I have started a partnership project with the Oyo State Government and I hope to seek similar collaborations with other states on how to eradicate rape and child abuse in our society.’’
Animasahun said that she would be organising a rally on child abuse in Ile-Ife in September specially to enlighten youths on the challenges associated with the menace and how they cold guide against it.
She advised young girls to uphold their dignity by dressing decently and keeping disciplined friends that would not lure them into rape, prostitution and child abuse.
She told NAN that the Queen Moremi project was an initiative of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, as parts of his efforts to use past and famous traditional icons from Yoruba land to restore moral values among present –day youths in the country.
Queen Moremi Ajasoro, also known as the spy queen for the Yoruba’s in the 12th century, saved her people
when a neighboring tribe threatened them.
“We are also using this cultural pageant to discourage the social vices that are predominant within and outside the shores of the country,’’ she said.
She said that it was also to prepare the girls of today for the future by instilling decent morals in them.
“A lot of morals have been lost, the new generation of women do not have much values for themselves.
“The Queen Moremi project which Blessing Animasahun symbolizes is trying to instill those values of selflessness, courage and discipline among our youths, especially girls, in Nigeria and beyond,” she said.(NAN)