Why childhood sexual abuse is rampant, victims warn parents

Samson Folarin

Some Nigerians have taken to social media to share horrific experiences of the sexual abuse they suffered, warning parents and guardians to be vigilant.

A teacher, Ebele Light @ebeletheservant, who started the trend on Twitter, shared how she was allegedly introduced to lesbianism around eight years old.

She said, “It was with the neighbour’s kids. It first started with the normal ‘mummy and daddy’ plays and before we knew it, we were getting under sheets and touching ourselves inappropriately. This was also how my struggle with masturbation and pornography began.

“Our parents would let us play with the kids in the compound and, as long as there were no physical injuries or anything of that sort, they let us play ‘unsupervised’.

“They were probably thinking ‘they are just children. What harm could possibly be done?’ I do not blame them at all. Because when they were young like we were at that age, the only kinds of play they knew involved stones, catapults, singing etc. No one was getting under sheets. But things are not that way anymore.”

She noted that based on her experience as a primary and secondary school teacher, it was rare to see innocent children, adding that their utterances showed they had been exposed to wrong things.

Ebele urged parents, guardians and teachers to monitor the activities of the kids around them to save them from sexual predators.

A Twitter user, Brume Orume @BrumeOrume, while confirming Ebele’s story, claimed he was exposed to sex at eight.

“Mine was crazy. At 8, I was having 3 rounds of sex a day and this went on till I was 12. And then I was so bold that I slept with the next house help while she was sleeping. She woke up, smiled and pushed me in deeper,” he wrote.

In response to some readers who doubted Orume’s claim, another user, Ekene Rogers, @Ekenerogers1, posted a video clip of a child around a twerking female adult

The lady allowed the child to look under her skirts, while the person filming the shot zoomed in on the boy’s erect private parts.

Peter Bruno@_brunodegentle, said, “I can’t even share my story because people will make fun of it. If I tell you what was done to me from 8 till like 15, you’ll think it’s make-believe or larger than life. Things dey happen ooo.”

Another user, Favour, @__Favour, said she was abused by the house help who forced her to have oral sex.

She said, “When I was 8, the house girl would ask me to lie down on the bed and ask me to bring out my tongue. She would then put her private part on my mouth and ask me to lick it. Would then threaten to kill me if I tell anyone. Till today, my parents don’t know.”

Hollamedey of Awka, @emzryoflife, said he and his younger brother were abused by a cousin.

“My younger brother and I were abused by my mom’s cousin. She was the one taking care of us while my mom was busy with her business. She would ask us to suck her breast and hump on her and threaten to flog us if we told anyone.

“I still haven’t told my mom about it cos I don’t want to ruin her relationship with her. She’s now married with kids. Don’t know if my younger brother remembers cos he was very young then,” he stated.

A user, David @David85400360, said, “I had my first sexual intercourse when I was 8…she hold it and put it inside, me what did I know and still I was threatened not to tell my guardian.”

Another Twitter user, Nelson @kanuelsonmirag, claimed he was abuse at five, though he did not understand what was going on.

“When I was 4 or 5, our neighbour’s daughter who was already more than 30 at that time would bring me inside her room n strip me, she would carry me ontop of herself n be pushing me up and down, I didn’t know much about what she was doing to me.

“It continued for years; eventually told my mom and she beat me up so much, I kept quiet henceforth and she continued abusing me till we relocated. Those past events affected my emotions, sexual life and relationships generally, but I thank God things are getting better,” he wrote.

A man with an alias, Zeal Koncept @Macomitel, wrote, “I passed through this type of trauma at the age of 5, having intercourse with 3 different girls that are way older than me, thinking is normal till I grew up, unable to love someone even when they love me, the thought of they’re all the same always play in my head…

“I don’t know how painful heartbreak is, cause have never felt it before… A lot happens to me at my tender age and it’s difficult for me to heal from it because the girls messed me up badly and I’ll surely hunt them down without rest.”(The Punch)