Empowering Youth: APIN Pushes for Expansion of “No Means No” Program in Oyo Schools to Fight GBV By Femi Ojo
In Celebraton of World Children’s Day 2024 and also amplify the campaign to combat the menace of gender-based violence amongst children of all ages, APIN Public Health Initiatives has called on the Oyo State Government to provide more support for the “NO means NO” instructor program in schools across the state.
Mrs. Bola Thompson, the Prevention and Community Lead for APIN in Oyo State, made this appeal today during a special program organized at the Botanical Gardens, University of Ibadan. The program aimed to equip and train adolescents between the ages of 9 and 14 on how to make firm decisions, resist sexual exploitation, and speak out in difficult situations.
“The ‘NO Means NO’ activity is part of our Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OBC) program,” Mrs. Thompson explained. “It focuses on adolescents and young people aged 9 to 14. We teach them about preventing sexual and gender-based violence and how to protect themselves from abuse.
This program has a modular structure. We train them through various lectures. They must complete all 10 modules to be able to defend themselves and others against sexual and gender-based violence.”
Mrs. Thompson highlighted the achievements of the “NO Means NO” campaign since its inception. “We have recorded tremendous progress with the support of the Ministry of Education, Health, and SACA. However, there’s a need to expand the program’s reach to further empower the next generation to make firm life decisions.”
“We’ve achieved significant success in our state, particularly in reaching a large number of young people with our message. Across all states, we’ve nearly reached 7,000 young individuals, which is a significant accomplishment. Many of them have expressed learning valuable skills, such as how to protect themselves and others from sexual abuse,” she added.
She emphasized that instructors have been trained to reach every corner of the state to connect with young people. “I believe this approach will lead to a significant reduction in the rate of gender-based violence in the state,” Thompson concluded.
Speaking on the prevalence of HIV in Oyo State, another core focus of APIN, Dr. Olalere Olajide, the Head of Office at APIN Health, Oyo State, explained a significant drop in the data to 0.9% of the population.
He emphasized that Oyo State is well on its way to achieving the U=U target (undetectable equals untransmittable) due to the recent success in HIV testing and treatment, with a high level of awareness among residents.
“We’ve been able to identify a significant portion of the population living with HIV. We’ve identified at least 80% of them,” he said.
“The prevalence of HIV in Oyo State is less than one percent, at 0.9%. So, with this percentage, if the state’s population is, for example, 7 million, it means less than 70,000 people are actually living with HIV, though there might be some slight variations,” Dr. Olajide clarified.
He further explained that the “NO Means NO” program, organized to celebrate this year’s Children’s Day, aimed to equip children with the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions.
“The initiative focuses on empowering children to make informed decisions and recognize right from wrong, especially in relationships. It’s essential that they feel empowered to reject anything that doesn’t align with their values,” he said.
Dr. Olajide urged the government, civil society groups, and stakeholders to join forces to protect children’s rights and reduce the number of sexual assaults and all forms of gender-based violence in the state.
Students who participated in the event lauded APIN for the training. They urged their peers to speak out in critical situations, be bold enough to report such actions to security agencies, and seek help.
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