Project Alert's attention was drawn to an on line report in The Herald Newspaper of today May 17th in which a so called coalition of NGOs in Lagos known as the Foundation for African Heritage, FACH, stated that it is "unreasonable and illogical for the girls to subject the girls to a traumatic, violent and life threatening abortion process. This statement was made by the the Director of FACH, Mr. Sonnie Ekwowusi while donating some cash to NEMA to assist with the girls rehabilitation.
The donation made by FACH does not give them the right to decide what is in the best interest of the girls who have been subjected to months of unimaginable physical, sexual and psychological terror. What greater trauma, violence and life threatening situation can the women/girls face than what they were subjected to during the months of their captivity?
Why do we we always play politics with the lives of women and girls? The decision whether to have abortion or not is the EXCLUSIVE DECISION of the girls in close consultations with their immediate families. NON OF US have the faintest clue of the extent and depth of physical and psychological pain and torture these girls and their families went through, thus NON OF US have the right to decide for them.
This is indeed the ONE TIME, these girls would have to decide through put this nightmarish experience. They never decided to be kidnapped. They never decided to be raped brutally and severally by their abductors; and for sure they never decided to get pregnant. THIS IS THE ONE TIME THEY GET TO DECIDE.
THE law on abortion in Nigeria definitely does not hold water in this case. So also should religious sentiments not hold sway. For once as a people let's be real and not hypocritical. For as many of the girls who want to keep the pregnancy should be supported to do so; and for as many who want to abort it, should be supported to do so. THIS IS NOT THE TIME OR OCCASION FOR POLITICS OF ANY KIND.
Signed
Josephine Effah-Chukwuma
Executive Director
Project Alert on Violence Against Women
The donation made by FACH does not give them the right to decide what is in the best interest of the girls who have been subjected to months of unimaginable physical, sexual and psychological terror. What greater trauma, violence and life threatening situation can the women/girls face than what they were subjected to during the months of their captivity?
Why do we we always play politics with the lives of women and girls? The decision whether to have abortion or not is the EXCLUSIVE DECISION of the girls in close consultations with their immediate families. NON OF US have the faintest clue of the extent and depth of physical and psychological pain and torture these girls and their families went through, thus NON OF US have the right to decide for them.
This is indeed the ONE TIME, these girls would have to decide through put this nightmarish experience. They never decided to be kidnapped. They never decided to be raped brutally and severally by their abductors; and for sure they never decided to get pregnant. THIS IS THE ONE TIME THEY GET TO DECIDE.
THE law on abortion in Nigeria definitely does not hold water in this case. So also should religious sentiments not hold sway. For once as a people let's be real and not hypocritical. For as many of the girls who want to keep the pregnancy should be supported to do so; and for as many who want to abort it, should be supported to do so. THIS IS NOT THE TIME OR OCCASION FOR POLITICS OF ANY KIND.
Signed
Josephine Effah-Chukwuma
Executive Director
Project Alert on Violence Against Women
Posts
