Girl to Woman Initiative (GTWI), an Abuja-based NGO, says trust is critical to breaking the conspiracy of silence that impedes prosecution of perpetrators of rape and violence against women.
The Founder of the NGO, Ms Linda-Claudia Uke, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday that it was only trust that could give survivors of rape and violence the courage to unmask the perpetrators.
She said “parents should always build trust around their relationship with their children to make them feel protected and divulge every act and perpetrator of rape.
“If the child feels protected by parents and knows that he/she will not be blamed, the conspiracy of silence will certainly be broken.”
Uke, who described rape as an “unpardonable crime’’, noted that perpetrators, most times threaten their victims not to reveal the crime.
She said the threat remained the highest ploy to cover the crime of rape and other violence against women and girls.
He challenged parents to rise up to the challenge and expose perpetrators, irrespective of the relationship between them.
According to her, it is wrong for parents to cover the crime of rape because the perpetrator is either a husband, brother, father or uncle.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that rape and violence against women and girls have been on the increase in the wake of COVID-19
