The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: Child Sexual Abuse in Nigeria

Before we all dance away to the distracting tune of Big Brother Naija and all the gains we've experienced in the past few days on creating sexual abuse awareness become secondhand news, let me just say this.

Rape is horrible. To be held against your will and have your body violated in such a manner is an experience you will never forget. Indeed, your body and the generations after you will ALWAYS keep the score. And the worst of these transgressions is when a child is sexually abused.

Empirical research and lived experiences have proven that A CHILD INTERRUPTED IS A LIFE INTERRUPTED. A traumatized child grows up to become an adult who reacts differently to the world around them, which results in an isolated way of living. Trauma is bad. Trauma experienced as a child due to sexual abuse is incomprehensible, as the ensuing impact is far-reaching and more permanent than the abuse itself.

And remember that abused kids don't stay kids forever, they become our spouses, us, friends, or family. So inadvertently, we are all affected. I think if we all understood the negative, almost exacting impact that trauma has on every one of us, whether directly or indirectly, we will be more proactive at preventing it.