In an interview with Adom News, the MP described the situation as “deeply troubling” and pledged his full support in seeking justice for affected students.

He announced his readiness to personally cover any financial expenses required to assist the victims in pursuing legal redress and rehabilitation.

“No child should suffer such trauma and be denied justice because of financial barriers,” Mr Kpotosu stated.

“I am fully committed to ensuring that these young victims receive all the support they need, legal, medical, and psychological.”

The DOVVSU report, according to the MP, highlighted a worrying rise in cases of sexual misconduct and abuse involving students, sparking outrage among stakeholders and community leaders in Ho Central.

The MP called for stronger collaboration between schools, parents, security agencies, and civil society to tackle the menace and protect the rights and dignity of children.

In addition to addressing the issue of abuse, Mr. Kpotosu also lamented the poor academic performance of students in the recently concluded 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

He described the results as disappointing and called for a collective reassessment of the education system within the municipality.

Mr Kpotosu revealed that discussions are ongoing with the Municipal Education Directorate to implement strategic interventions aimed at improving teaching standards, learning conditions, and student support systems in the area.

He concluded with a passionate appeal to parents and guardians to be more involved in both the academic and personal development of their children, stating, “Together, we must build a safe and supportive environment for our children to thrive—academically, emotionally, and socially.”

On her part, the Ho Central Municipal Director of Education, Esther Yeboah-Adzimah, has also sent a strong warning to male teachers to abstain from having sexual misconduct with female students.

She also advised the female students to abstain from proposing to the male teachers in order to curb the menace.

Source: Odehyeba Owusu Job

READ ALSO:

• 
  Don’t hide behind audit to abandon Agenda 111 project – Okoe-Boye cautions gov’t
• We are back to zero! — Lawyer slams OSP over amendment of charges in NPA case

On Tuesday, Fifa ruled that Patrick Assoumou Eyi, who was head coach of Gabon’s national youth teams for decades, had sexually abused multiple young boys throughout his career.

Eyi was named in a 2023 BBC Africa Eye investigation into the widespread allegations of abuse plaguing Gabonese football.

In the investigation, a former Gabonese international said Eyi held the “position of a god” as he had the power to decide who would play for Gabon’s youth teams.

Eyi – known widely as Capello – is “just one man that has been sanctioned” and there are “many more perpetrators” within Gabonese football, Fifpro legal counsel Loic Alves told the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme.

“It is a positive first step, but it is just the first step,” Mr Alves said.

Eyi had admitted charges of raping, grooming and exploiting young players after allegations were first reported by the UK’s Guardian newspaper in 2021.

Fifa’s independent ethics committee launched its investigation into Eyi later that year.

As well as being banned for life, Eyi has been fined one million Swiss francs (£880,000; $1.1m). He is currently being held in prison.

“The investigation into Mr Eyi concerns complaints from at least four male football players who accused him of sexual abuse between 2006 and 2021. Most of these incidents occurred while the players were minors,” Fifa’s statement said.

One of Eyi’s alleged victims, who wanted to remain anonymous, told the BBC on Wednesday he was pleased about the ban.

“But on the other hand, I’m not satisfied because I don’t want us to stop there. It’s a whole network, a system that needs to be dismantled, with many predators running free,” they said.

In 2023, BBC Africa spoke to more that 30 witnesses who told of a sexual abuse network that had afflicted all levels of Gabonese football for three decades.

One victim said he was abused as a teenager at an under-17 football camp. Another, who played for Gabon’s national team for several years, said he was assaulted from the age of 14.

Along with the perpetrators of the abuse, governing bodies such as Fifa and Gabon’s national football federation, Fegafoot, have faced accusations that they failed to protect young victims.

Both bodies denied the allegations made against them.

His trial started on Wednesday, but a judge immediately decided it would be held behind closed doors despite the defendant’s wish for it to be open to the public.

Mr Ishimwe is accused of soliciting or offering sexual favours and harassing some contestants in the Miss Rwanda contest.

He denies both charges.

Mr Ishimwe was arrested in May after one of the beauty contestants made the accusations against him.

The authorities have since suspended the pageant.

The court is expected to decide on the case later this month.

MORE:

• Sad news hits Empress Gifty

• Mankessim murder: Check out how much ‘Gravedigger’ was paid by accused chief

• Arrival of mortal remains of aspiring nurse killed by chief, pastor at Yeji [Video]

The convict was arrested on September 27, 2021, after some relatives of the victims reported a sodomy case to police at Salaga.

The case was referred to the Tamale Circuit Court for hearing, with the accused pleading guilty.

However, the lawyer for the defence prayed to the court for a psychiatric assessment, which the court granted.

Subsequently, a report of the medical examination conducted at the Pantang Hospital was presented to the court but it was rejected by the judge.

A further examination was conducted at the Tamale Teaching Hospital and presented to the court.

During sitting which was heard in camera, the presiding judge, his lordship Alexander Oware sentenced the accused to seven years imprisonment with hard labour.

The sentence imposed on the Singaporean, who had lied to the victims’ parents that he was a qualified educational therapist, was the longest ever meted out in Singapore for sexual offences, prosecutors said.

Justice Ang Cheng Hock called the case, which involved eight victims, an “exceptionally sickening sexual abuse”, according to a report by TODAY.

The man, now 54, pleaded guilty to six charges of aggravated rape committed against three of the victims from 2002 to 2018. Two of the victims were five years old when the man raped them, while another was eight.

Another 80 charges were considered for sentencing including sexual exploitation of a minor, attempted aggravated rape, and outrage of modesty.

The man, who had a relationship with the mother of one of the victims, cannot be named due to a gag order.

His offences came to light after a buyer bought his laptop and reported to the police of obscene images found on the device. The man had filmed videos of a number of his sexual offences.

“I’m very remorseful for the wrong I have done, it will haunt me for my entire life. I would like to sincerely apologise to the people I have hurt and I hope they can forgive me,” the man addressed the court in Mandarin, according to a Straits Times report.

In a separate case, a 63-year-old man who had raped his daughter and sexually assaulted her for 13 years was sentenced to 26.5 years in jail on the same day, according to a report by TODAY. The victim was just eight years old when she was first raped by her father in their Housing and Development Board flat.

The man, who cannot be named due to a gag order, continued with his offences even after his daughter pleaded for him to stop. He was later arrested after she told her mother and boyfriend about the extensive incidents of sexual abuse, and reported them to the police.

The Singaporean pleaded guilty to one charge each of statutory rape and aggravated sexual assault by penetration, and two counts of aggravated rape while another 22 similar charges were considered for his sentencing.

In September, a New York jury convicted the disgraced pop star of racketeering and eight counts of sex trafficking.

The 55-year-old R&B singer will spend at least 10 years in prison, with the maximum possible sentence being life.

Prosecutors have said he should spend at least 25 years behind bars.

The singer – known for the hit songs I Believe I Can Fly and Ignition (Remix) – was found to have been the ringleader of a violent and coercive scheme to lure women and children for him to sexually abuse.

The six-week trial heard how he trafficked women between different US states, assisted by managers, security guards and other entourage members, over two decades.

READ MORE:

• Akufo-Addo terminates Juliana Cudjoe’s appointment

• Tiger storms Sunyani; eats only intestines of its prey

• IGP not working, only seeking human faces – DCOP Akrofi

Prosecutors said he showed a “callous disregard” for his victims and showed no remorse.

“Indeed, the defendant’s decades of crime appear to have been fuelled by narcissism and a belief that his musical talent absolved him of any need to conform his conduct – no matter how predatory, harmful, humiliating or abusive to others – to the strictures of the law,” they said.

The court also heard how Kelly had illegally obtained paperwork to marry singer Aaliyah when she was 15 in 1994, seven years before the singer died in a plane crash.

The certificate, leaked at the time, listed Aaliyah’s age as 18. The marriage was annulled months later.

After several delays, he will be sentenced at the US District Court in New York on Wednesday.

Kelly is separately facing trial in Chicago on child sex images and obstruction charges. He is also due to face sex abuse charges in Illinois and Minnesota.

García, 53, pleaded guilty last week to three counts of sexually abusing girls from his congregation.

His plea deal means his sentence is considerably shorter than the life imprisonment he could have faced had he been found guilty in a trial.

To his followers, Naasón Joaquín García is known as “the Apostle”.

His church shared a statement [in Spanish] on Twitter in which it expresses its continued “support for the Apostle of Jesus Christ” and praised his “integrity, his conduct and his work”.

The statement alleges that that evidence García had been fabricated and that he accepted the plea deal “as the best way to protect the church and his family”.

A fundamentalist Christian organisation, La Luz del Mundo (meaning The Light of the World in Spanish) was founded in Mexico in 1926 by García’s grandfather, Eusebio Joaquín González.

The church’s influence has spread in recent years and is strong in parts of California that have large Hispanic populations, which García often visited.

He was arrested at Los Angeles airport in 2019 along with two of his female followers as they arrived by private jet.

The church says it has baptised more than five million people worldwide, but independently verified numbers of its followers are hard to come by.

García had been facing 19 charges, but on Friday – three days before his trial was due to start – he pleaded guilty to two counts of forcible oral copulation involving minors and one count of a lewd act upon a child who was 15 years old.

The unexpected plea deal means that his trial has been dropped and the church leader will not face other charges including raping and trafficking girls from his congregation, which he has denied.

Some of those who have accused García of abusing them said the plea deal set a “dangerous” precedent.

Sochil Martin, a former member of the church who has filed a federal civil lawsuit against La Luz del Mundo, alleging it promotes an institutionalised culture of abuse, told journalists at a news conference she was disappointed there was “no day in court”.

“There was no trial. The people didn’t get to hear what this man represents in society and that’s what we need to understand,” she said on Tuesday.

“He deserves the maximum penalty possible,” said Ms Martin, who accuses García of abusing her over the course of 17 years.

But Attorney General Rob Bonta said Friday’s conviction sent “a clear message that sexual exploitation is never acceptable in California”.

“As the leader of La Luz del Mundo, Naasón Joaquín García used his power to take advantage of children. He relied on those around him to groom congregants for the purposes of sexual assault. Today’s conviction can never undo the harm, but it will help protect future generations,” a statement by Mr Bonta said.

The two followers who were arrested with him in 2019 have also pleaded guilty.

Susana Medina Oaxaca, 27, on Friday admitted assault likely to cause great bodily injury. She had been García’s assistant before their arrest.

Alondra Ocampo had already pleaded guilty in 2020 to four counts involving the sexual abuse of minors. She had been expected to testify against García.

READ ALSO:

• Nigel Gaisie’s latest prophecy on Ghana and Mahama [Listen]

• Why Jesus is trending on social media

• Be vigilant, you’ll win as flagbearer but… – Alan Kyerematen warned

Hughes found fame for his lead role in Australian TV show Hey Dad! which aired in more than 20 countries from 1987.

In 2014 he was convicted of a string of child sexual offences – which he denied – against girls in the 1980s and 1990s.

The 73-year-old was granted parole by Australian authorities on Thursday.

Having renounced his Australian citizenship, the British national will be deported to the UK, where he will live with his wife, upon his release from prison.

Hughes has been eligible for parole for more than two years but has twice been denied freedom over concerns about his risk to the community.

He and his family deny his crimes but, since his last bid for parole, have promised he will seek psychological treatment when released and that he will have no unsupervised contact with children.

UK authorities, who have been informed of his impending release and deportation, have also since confirmed he will be monitored.

That – and a psychological assessment that Hughes has a below average risk of offending – was enough to satisfy parole authorities his risk to the community could be managed.

He will be released no later than 14 June.

Hughes’s 2014 trial heard evidence of sexual misconduct which had spanned 20 years. He was convicted of 10 child sexual assault offences against girls aged between seven and 15.

He abused his position of trust and exploited the naivety and youth of the children, Judge Peter Zahra said in sentencing at the time.

”The offender engaged in a systematic pattern of sexual abuse upon young girls over a number of years,” he said.

”His conduct was brazen… he engaged in predatory behaviour.”

On Thursday, parole judge David Frearson acknowledged the decision would be hard for the actor’s victims.

“It is clear that the profound and deleterious effects on the victims… continue to this day and will probably be lifelong consequences,” he said.

“It must be particularly galling for the victims to observe the offender’s continued and obstinate denials in the face of compelling and overwhelming evidence from multiple witnesses.”

Hey Dad! was hugely popular in Australia and ran for eight seasons until 1994.

The arrest of Dieudonné Ishimwe, the chief executive of Rwanda Inspiration Back Up, the company that organises the contest, comes just a month after this year’s edition.

Mr Ishimwe has not responded to the accusations against him.

The Miss Rwanda pageant is one of the most followed events in Rwanda.

An employee of the organising company told the BBC that four girls who contested last year and in this year’s edition had made complaints to investigators before his arrest.

“While the case was still under investigation, he was arrested on Monday”, she told the BBC under a condition of anonymity.

A state investigator is quoted by local media as saying that Mr Ishimwe “is suspected of sexual abuse charges towards Miss Rwanda contestants on different occasions”.

Leading one to sex acts “by force, threats, trickery or by use of authority over that person” is punishable by up to 15 years in prison in Rwanda.

The spokesperson of Rwanda Inspiration Back Up, who is the winner of Miss Rwanda 2019, resigned last week.

Rev Peter Mahoney, 86, allegedly sexually abused a victim between 1975 and 1978, when he was serving at St. Martin of Tours Church in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

Diocese officials said they first learned of the allegations in October 2020 through its tip line, and then opened an investigation and contacted law enforcement officials.

Another allegation surfaced in an April lawsuit, Diocese officials said.

That case stems from alleged abuse in 1963 and 1964 when Mahoney was the principal at the Church of St. Leonard of Port Maurice School, according to the lawsuit.

Mahoney is accused of grooming a young student for abuse, and of abusing him at least once, when he was 12 and 13 years old, according to the suit. The alleged victim, who lived in Paramus, N.J., has since died, and the lawsuit is being filed by his estate.

Mahoney was most recently ministering part-time to the Hispanic community at Saint Anne Catholic Church in Flushing and St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church in Jamaica.

ALSO READ:

• I killed a Catholic priest because he sodomised me – Man tells court

• Father Campbell retires as Catholic Priest [Photos]

Since the Diocese determined he was credibly accused, he’s been removed from all public ministry — meaning he can’t celebrate Mass publicly, exercise any public ministry, or live in an ecclesiastical residence.

The Diocese will also add his name to its list of credibly accused priests on its website, officials said.

The list currently includes more than 100 current, resigned and deceased priests accused of sexual abuse.

Attempts to reach Mahoney were unsuccessful Monday.

Niagara County Court Judge Matthew J. Murphy III said he “agonized” over the case of 20-year-old Christopher Belter, who was accused of committing the crimes when he was 16 or 17.

Belter pleaded guilty in 2019 to felony charges that included third-degree rape and attempted first-degree sexual abuse, as well as two misdemeanour charges of second-degree sexual abuse.

Although Belter faced a maximum sentence of eight years in prison, Murphy concluded that time behind bars for the man “would be inappropriate.” The ruling shocked the courtroom.

“I’m not ashamed to say that I actually prayed over what is the appropriate sentence in this case because there was great pain.

There was great harm. There were multiple crimes committed in the case,” Murphy said, according to WKBW. “It seems to me that a sentence that involves incarceration or partial incarceration isn’t appropriate, so I am going to sentence you to probation.”

Belter, of Lewiston, N.Y., will have to register as a sex offender as part of his sentence. Murphy told Belter in court that the probation sentence would be “like a sword hanging over your head for the next eight years.” The judge did not elaborate on why he did not impose prison time.

Steven M. Cohen, a lawyer for one of the victims, denounced the judge’s sentencing, saying to reporters Tuesday, “Justice was not done here.”

He told The Washington Post on Wednesday that his client, who was joined by some of the other victims in the courtroom, was “deeply disappointed” in the sentencing.

“My client threw up in the ladies room following the sentencing,” Cohen said. “If Chris Belter was not a White defendant from a rich and influential family, in my experience … he would surely have been sentenced to prison.”

Barry N. Covert, Belter’s attorney, declined to comment. At the sentencing hearing, the defence attorney said that Belter regretted what he did as a teen.

“He is tremendously remorseful for what he has done,” Covert said, according to the Buffalo News.

“There are clients who are never able to empathize with their victims no matter how much counselling they receive. Chris isn’t one of them.”

The crimes took place between February 2017 and August 2018 at Belter’s parents’ home in a wealthy neighbourhood of Lewiston, a few miles outside Niagara Falls.

During that time, three 16-year-old girls and a 15-year-old girl were assaulted in four separate incidents, according to the judge.

The “party house” label at Belter’s family home was fueled by his mother, Tricia Vacanti, now 50; his stepfather, Gary Sullo, 56; and Jessica M. Long, 42, a family friend, who allegedly supplied teenage girls with alcohol and marijuana, according to state police.

The three adults, who police say helped groom the girls for sexual assault by Belter, have pleaded not guilty in Lewiston Town Court to misdemeanour charges of child endangerment and unlawfully dealing with a child. None of them responded to requests for comment Wednesday.

“It’s not a party house case. It was a house of sexual assault,” Peter M. Wydysh, the assistant district attorney in Niagara County, said during the sentencing. “That is what happened there. That is not something we should look past.”

The fourth teen who was assaulted by Belter gave what Murphy described as a “gripping statement” of how she focused on a plant while she was being raped.

“During the rape, he told her to stop being such a baby. She focused her attention on the leaves of the plant as she cried during the attack,” Murphy wrote, according to the News. “The Defendant told her that, if she stopped resisting, it wouldn’t hurt as much.”

In 2018, Belter, then 17, was charged with first-degree rape, third-degree rape and sexual abuse for the assaults. As part of a deal with the prosecution, Belter pleaded guilty in 2019 to lesser felony charges of third-degree rape and attempted first-degree sexual abuse.

The judge at the time, Sara Sheldon, placed Belter on two years’ interim probation and gave him the chance to apply for youthful offender status in his sentencing, which would have lessened the maximum prison time and allowed him to avoid registering as a sex offender.

Sheldon, who has since retired, predicted that Belter would struggle to comply with the restrictions placed on him in his initial probation — and she was proved right.

Belter acknowledged in court last month that he had violated his probation by installing software on his personal computer that allowed him to view pornography, which he was not permitted to do.

Belter had told his probation officer that he had been watching porn since he was 7 years old, the News reported.

When Murphy denied him youthful offender status and ruled last month that Belter would be sentenced as an adult, the judge wrote that the 20-year-old had “recently been treated with medication to lessen his libido.”

“The assumption when Judge Murphy denied youthful offender status was that Chris Belter would receive prison time,” Cohen told The Post. “There were absolutely no consequences for the defendant’s repeated violations of Judge Sheldon’s terms of probation.”

Before the sentence was announced, Belter told the courtroom that he had “come to feel deep shame and regret my actions,” according to WKBW.

He addressed the victims in attendance, saying, “None of you deserved to be in this situation.”

“I hope each of you could close that wound I gashed,” he said. “I know, though, that a scar will remain that will serve as a reminder of the evil of that night.”

Belter is due back in court on Dec 3 for a determination of the level of his sex-offender classification, Cohen said.

The man, who testified under the pseudonym Louis, said he was a 17-year-old when Mr Kelly asked him what he “was willing to do for music”.

He then described how the singer crawled towards him and performed a sex act, even though “I wasn’t into it”.

Mr Kelly, 54, denies all the charges against him.

These include a single count of racketeering – which paints him as the kingpin of a criminal enterprise whose explicit purpose was “to prey upon young women and teenagers” for sexual purposes – and eight counts of violating an interstate anti-sex trafficking law known as the Mann Act.

The singer, whose full name is Robert Kelly, is not charged with rape or assault, but prosecutors are allowed to present evidence of any potential crimes related to the racketeering charge, regardless of when they occurred.

Male accuser’s testimony

On Monday, the jury heard from two accusers, both of whom said they were underage when they met Mr Kelly.

Louis said he first encountered Mr Kelly in 2006 when he was a 17-year-old working the night shift at a McDonald’s in Chicago.

He told the court that Mr Kelly slipped him his phone number, and invited him to his house, saying he could perform in his recording studio and receive some tips on the music business.

One on such occasion, the star asked Louis if he had ever “had any fantasies” involving men, then allegedly “crawled down on his knees and proceeded to give me oral sex”.

Afterward, “he told me to keep between him and me”, adding, “we family now, we brothers”, Louis alleged.

He said Mr Kelly asked him to call him “daddy” – echoing the testimony of several female accusers – and would routinely film their sexual encounters.

He told the court he kept seeing Mr Kelly because he “really wanted to make it” in the music industry, and sometimes took friends to the singer’s parties.

One of them, a 16-year-old boy, also had sexual encounters with Mr Kelly, according to court documents. On one occasion, the singer directed the two to “touch each other” sexually, Louis testified, but they refused.

RELATED:

• ‘R Kelly insisted I have a sex trainer’ – Victim

• R Kelly ‘attacked in jail’

Louis, who is now 32, was testifying as part of a co-operation agreement he entered into in February 2021, under which he hopes to avoid jail time of up to 15 years.

He had previously pleaded guilty to offering money to a potential witness against Mr Kelly in an attempt to stop her co-operating with prosecutors.

Louis said he was worried the unnamed witness possessed sex tapes of him and Mr Kelly but maintained the star had no knowledge of the bribery attempt.

Woman alleges backstage assault

The court also heard from a female accuser on Monday, who testified that Kelly sexually assaulted her at the age of 17, following a concert in Miami in 1994.

The woman, who testified under the name Addie, said she and her friend had been approached by two men “who looked like bouncers” and invited backstage after the show.

Once there, she alleged Mr Kelly cleared the room, grabbed her wrists, pulled down her shorts, and raped her.

“At this point, I was in complete shock,” she told the court. “I just went blank.”

Afterward, her friend wanted to contact the police but Addie feared she would be blacklisted by the entertainment industry if she came forward.

“I didn’t even know if they would believe me,” she said. “I didn’t want to be victim-shamed.”

On cross-examination, Mr Kelly’s lawyers asked why the woman, who is now 44, had waited more than two decades to contact law enforcement.

“Because I didn’t want to feel more shame and trauma,” she said, before adding that she no longer did.

“I’m an adult now,” she testified, holding back tears. “I’m no longer a little girl.”

Mr Kelly has pleaded not guilty and repeatedly denied accusations that he preyed on victims during a 30-year career. His lawyers have portrayed his accusers as groupies out for revenge after their relationships with the R&B singer faded.

If convicted, the star – whose hits include I Believe I Can Fly and Ignition (Remix) – faces between 10 years and life in prison.

The ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ musician allegedly used his star status to groom, gain the trust of and control the victim “as part of his plan to sexually molest and abuse” her, according to the Manhattan Supreme Court papers, which only identify the plaintiff as “J.C.”

“Bob Dylan, over a six-week period between April and May of 1965 befriended and established an emotional connection with the plaintiff,” say the papers, which were filed late Friday on behalf of J.C., now a 68-year-old woman in Greenwich, Conn.

The suit alleges that Dylan — whose given name is Robert Allen Zimmerman — established the “connection” to “lower [J.C.’s] inhibitions with the object of sexually abusing her, which he did, coupled with the provision of drugs, alcohol and threats of physical violence, leaving her emotionally scarred and psychologically damaged to this day.”

The alleged abuse by the now-81-year-old ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ singer and songwriter occurred multiple times, and some of the incidents took place at the famed Chelsea Hotel, the suit claims.

MORE:

• 5 home remedies for soft pink lips

• Meet the prisoner with 30 girlfriends

• Manasseh Azure Awuni: Andrew Amuna returns home, but not to stay

J.C. says the emotional effects of the alleged abuse have been long-lasting and that she has had to seek medical treatment for them, according to the filing.

The fallout she suffered — including depression, humiliation and anxiety — “are of a permanent and lasting natures and have incapacitated plaintiff from attending her regular activities,” the suit claims.

J.C. brought allegations of assault, battery, false imprisonment and infliction of emotional distress against Dylan. She is seeking unspecified damages and a jury trial.

Dylan’s spokesman told The Post on Monday, “this 56-year-old claim is untrue and will be vigorously defended.”

J.C.’s lawyer, Daniel Isaacs, said, “the complaint speaks for itself.”

“She provided a lot of detailed information regarding the time in question that leaves no doubt that she was with him in the apartment during the time in question,” Isaacs said, noting that he was able to verify those details with the “best available research.”

Isaacs said his client has no plans to go public at the moment.

He declined to comment on why his client was mounting the allegations so many years later.

The suit was filed late Friday, on the eve of the closure of the New York Child Victims’ Act look-back window.

The window allowed victims of childhood abuse to file suit against their attackers and the institutions that protected them regardless of how old the claims were and whether they had since passed beyond the statute of limitations.

Dylan recently won an unrelated lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court brought by the wife of his one-time collaborator seeking a cut of the sale of the star’s song collection.

According to this news article published by the University of Bedfordshire, 66% of child sexual abuse happens within the family and its close circles.

This number is quite startling. The question is, how do you keep your children safe from predators? Can The Underwear rule protect your child from abusers?Most parents worry about protecting their kids from predators

What is The Underwear Rule?

According to the Council of Europe, The Underwear Rule teaches parents how to explain sexual abuse to their children.

This rule stipulates that the child is not to be touched in the areas covered by their underwear. The children are also advised not to touch other people in these areas.

This rule helps parents explain in simple terms where people shouldn’t touch the children, what to do if they are touched and these places, and where to report the incident.

Parents can differentiate that there are acceptable and unacceptable touches.

How to have The Underwear Rule conversation with your children

Children need to learn body autonomy at an early age.

You have to start from when they are very young to let them know that their body belongs to them and no one is allowed to touch them without permission.

Body autonomy training will include teaching your children the correct names for their genitals.

Your child should know that they have the right to refuse hugs and kisses from anyone. And if someone touches them in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable, they should say no and then report the matter to you.

What kind of touch is inappropriate?

Younger children may find it hard to differentiate an innocent touch from sexual abuse, and that’s why The Underwear Rule spells out which areas are safe and which ones are no-go areas.

Emphasize that any touch in the areas usually covered by their underwear is a bad touch. Additionally, let your children know that if they are confused about good and bad touches, they can always come to you for help.

Sometimes doctors and nurses may need to touch the child in the underwear areas, so you should explain this to them so that they won’t panic if that happens.

However, the child still needs to know that they can say no to anyone at any time.

Another important thing is that you should never force your children to have any form of physical contact if they don’t feel like doing so.

This means that they don’t have to hug aunties and uncles if they don’t want to. By doing this, you are teaching them that their ‘no’ matters.66% of sexual abusers happen within the family and its close circles

The Underwear Rule – child molesters use secrecy as a weapon

Children are highly imaginative, and keeping secrets is a part of growing up with an overactive mind.

However, having secret imaginary friends is different from keeping secrets about a possible abuse situation.

Child molesters are often able to get hide because they swear their victims to secrecy.

And this is why you need to teach your children that some secrets are bad and some are good. Bad secrets are secrets they should always tell you about.

Explain that bad secrets are those that make them sad, uncomfortable, guilty and scared.

A close relationship with your kids is important

Once you develop a close relationship with your kids, one that makes them comfortable enough to talk about any subject with you—even sexuality—you have established yourself as someone your child can talk to should there be any threat of abuse.

It is important to keep the lines of communication open. Make regular discussions a part of your relationship so that they can approach you as soon as they are frightened about something.

Remove the shame from talking about sex and sexuality

In many Nigerian cultures, sex education is not given precedence because it is a rather uncomfortable subject for many.

However, sex education will remove the taboo associated with sex. Early, age-appropriate sex education will make your kids bold and comfortable enough to report any suspicious person and activity to you.

How should kids report any form of abuse?

The underwear rule will require naming some adults who the child can inform. Only one of these adults should live in the same household as the child.

How to identify and remove child molesters

As mentioned previously, 66% of child abusers are within or very close to the family.

This proximity to the family gives them enough time to groom the child and gain their trust before any physical contact.

Normally, child molesters will shower the child with gifts as part of the grooming process.

At this point, they’ll encourage the child to start keeping secrets.

If you have already taught your kids the difference between good secrets and bad secrets, you may be able to catch things on time.

Establish rules for contact with strangers. They should learn early that it is not right to talk to strangers, get into cars with people they don’t know or accept presents them.

The underwear can keep your young ones safe. It is important to teach this rule to your kids while they are very young.