An Ilorin-based psychologist, Mrs Sherifat Adeyi, has urged parents to give their children sex education early enough in view of the increasing rate of rape cases.
Adeyi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Ilorin that it was high time parents deploy the PANTS rule in educating their children.
According to Adeyi, the PANTS acronym for children implies ”privates parts are private, always remember your body belongs to you, no should mean no, talk about secrets that upset you and speak up, someone can help you.”
”Parents should stop being shy and start from somewhere because if you fail to teach them, the wrong people will do that for you,” Adeyi said.
She also advised parents to use the right word for private parts and not devise another word for it so that children could easily speak up.
Adeyi further urged parents to be friendly with their children so that they could easily confide in them.
”Gone are the days when parents will be too strict on their children and term it discipline.
”Now, parents should be as friendly as possible with their kids so that they will be free to tell them anything without being rebuked.
”It is only when children discover that their parents have listening ears that they will open up on any possible molestation,” she said.
She also added that parents should be wary of who they keep their children with as most rapists are family members and family friends.
”Most rape cases we have seen recently were carried out by family members or close relatives that the parents trust so much.
”Parents should not be too comfortable with leaving their children with families of the opposite sex because one cannot predict what will happen.
”Also, we should always be on the look out for change of attitude in our children to some people or persons as it may be as a result of molestation, ”she said. (NAN)
