THE National Association of Seadogs, Pyrates Confraternity, has urged State Governors to renovate and build juvenile centres on Government, Public-Private partnerships so as to provide safe shelters for victims of sexual gender-based violence and domestic violence, especially children and teens.
Pyrates Confraternity, Vito Corsica Deck made the call in Asaba, Delta State during her 2020 Annual Feast of Barracuda, FoB Public Lecture titled ‘Child Rights- The Househelp as a metaphor of abuse’, which was held virtually.
Osasumwen Edobor Expressing worry over the rise of child abuse, domestic violence and sexualization of Children documented on a daily and weekly basis in Nigeria, leader of the Vito Corsica Deck, Dr John Emethilue, said the Pyrates Confraternity was birthed with the primary aim of upholding human dignity and the promotion of a just, humane and progressive society where no one is a victim of colour, race, sex, tribe or beliefs.
Saying; “today, the Pyrates Confraternity has evolved from a campus Confraternity into an international organization”, Emethilue said the FoB Lecture was an annual lecture series specially designed to identify and discuss some of the contemporary socio-political or economic issues militating against the attainment of a just and egalitarian society with a view to proffering practicable solutions.
In a lecture, multi-award-winning Broadcaster and internationally recognized investigative Journalist, Ejiro Umukoro, called for a public vote on the issue of sexual gender-based violence and domestic violence.
She gave statistics of abuse in Delta State and Nigeria from her investigative series titled ‘Broken Boys and Girls – Trapped In COVID-19 Lockdown published by the Premium Times, The Guardian and amplified by the Pulitzer Centre in The USA’.
Umukoro highlighted critical gaps in the orphanages, private shelters, and remand homes currently run in Nigeria, using pictures and stories of the horrors ‘houseboys’ and ‘housegirls’ in Nigeria go through to illustrate her points.
She lamented that the ‘household’ was the most dehumanized person in Nigeria with no protection and defence. Present at the virtual session were the Delta State’s Director-General, State Orientation Bureau, Mr Eugene Uzum, Bridget Anyafulu, Executive Assistant to Delta State Governor on Special Duties/Focal Person NSIIP, Moses Agwere, Director Civil Service Unit, Delta State Ministry of Justice and Hajia Rafatu Salami, Journalist/Convener Okenite Foundation for Special Needs Children.