Famous Nollywood actress, Rita Edochie has called on parents to communicate regularly with their children, and pay attention to their complaints about the things that happen to them both inside the house and outside.
She made this call while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), at a seminar on “ending violence against children”. During the interview, she revealed that she was a victim of child sexual abuse which resulted in pregnancy.
“I was a victim of sexual abuse, that was when I was in primary six”, said the Nollywood veteran. ” I was going to the hospital and somebody called me. The boy used some diabolic means and sexually violated me, when I could not see my period, I refused to tell my mother, because she was very strict.”
It was a secret well kept, because her mother did not find out about her pregnancy until she was 7 months gone. When she did, she was quite shocked because she had ensured a strict upbringing.
“My mother asked how it happened and I told her everything; my brother picked a knife and wanted to kill me, but my mother stopped him. It happened that the mother of the boy that violated me was my mother’s friend; the boy’s mother was surprised but the boy denied. My mother took me to hospital to abort the pregnancy with a plan of taking me to my grandmother’s place at ‘Ogede’ to stay for one week before returning home. I told her I may lose my life in the process and because she loved me, she then aborted the planned abortion; I feel it was God that spoke through me.
