Personal experience as power - youth leader on influence, faith, youth voices and why the WCA Commitment is needed in Nigeria

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Chidinma Adibeli, and I'm a youth and adolescent health educator based in Lagos, Nigeria. My personal experience and realisations greatly inspire my work. I only became self-aware at university, learning about my body for the first time as part of my bachelor's degree in human anatomy; Sitting in these lessons on biology, anatomy, reproduction and sexuality, something clicked. I knew then that I wanted to take on the path of helping other people like me.?

And what do you mean by people like me?

I was molested as a child and, due to ignorance, lived with trauma and not understanding the experience was wrong for many years. I am living proof that with education and access to quality information, young people can be helped to make better health choices and to live healthier lifestyles, as well as to report and change those things which are out of their control.?

Tell us a bit about what's out of control.

The realities for young people today, especially in Nigeria, are complicated. It's hard. Many things are out of their control, like gender-based violence, bullying and sexual harassment. They have no idea what consent is and don't know when they are being harassed. I only found out about sexual harassment when I was much older and at university. I understand that not everyone goes to university or finds out. I was lucky to study something anatomical; even then, learning about these at university is far too late! Just imagine how many children are being harassed by perpetrators of these things, and because of their ignorance, they can't control the outcomes. They also don't know it's different if they see it as normal.?

I was molested as a child and had no idea what was happening to me. I just felt very uncomfortable, but when I got older, I realised that it's wrong to molest a child. It's wrong, unjust and unfair to take advantage of a child.?

In West and Central Africa (WCA), more than 1 in 7 girls are married at age 14 or younger; in some countries, it is as high as 3 in 10 girls. We can not let this go on for another generation.

How are you working to change this - what action are you taking?

I'm taking advantage of all opportunities to work with and in civil societies here in Nigeria to be part of the process and influence directly through active roles in health, community? and school outreach programmes. I want children to know that they can speak out and how they can safely speak out.

It has not been an easy journey for me, and I want it to be easier for young people like me to be aware of the intricacies of gender-based violence and know how to fight against it.

There are certain things which are difficult? in my country due to reach, but I use my voice online and record a podcast, Real Talk with Adesuwa, which is full of information on health and sexuality. I've received great feedback, and people are listening in and benefitting from this technology.

I also lead the youth section at the Pentecostal Church. Influencing has to start with your community. My vision is to help young people, children, and my peers live meaningful lives, with better health outcomes and for them to make informed choices.?

I do that by having personal conversations and dialogues with young people wherever I go. I put myself out there and ensure I'm listening and interested in what they say. I believe in one-on-one conversations, so I don't have to wait till I have a crowd of 1000 young girls to 'start' having an impact.

Are other young people you work with interested in discussing this and learning?

I tell my story because many people don't understand that these harmful practices (including gender-based violence, sexual harassment, molestation, FGM etc.) are happening daily in Nigeria. Some instances may be because of lack of interest and knowledge, and others because they don't understand the realities without having personal or family experiences.

We also have cultural biases that hinder young people from knowing the truth, and often those in power are trying to shut out our voices so it's easier to stand with the crowd and not speak out. We have been trying to fight for some things for years, but it's like our voices are not being heard. So even with all our information, being able to keep fighting, be resilient and look after our mental health are all vital parts of taking action; this is a crucial thing to talk about with young people so that they're prepared.

How does this work fit your religious beliefs and role at the Pentecostal Church?

I am a youth leader and believe in God. I personally choose to abstain. However, I don't believe that we should have taboos in the Church as that feels both unethical and doesn't equip young people for life.?

I don't have a single scriptural reading to support this, but I believe we need wisdom as young people.?

The Bible talks about wisdom in the Book of Proverbs, where being wise in our undertaking and being able to guard our hearts must be with all diligence because all matters come from our hearts. So for me, the whole essence of CSE and SRH is making children and young people wise in their choices; wise in their undertakings because, with each generation, new things are happening that we need to prepare ourselves for. We need these skills and knowledge. I believe God wants that for us and doesn't want us to make mistakes and be victims. He wants us to be well-equipped for life, and this includes our sexuality.

Is this a view supported by those from your faith community and Church?

I understand not everyone will support this area of work in SRH and so I work with willing pastors and members. I also recently attended a successful training where they sensitised religious and traditional leaders. The outcome was that by approaching these topics and education from a faith-based perspective, they understood and were more open to these things, which was powerful.

I am also the leader of the Youth Church. This space is for young people, the youth, to discuss our issues from a Christian perspective. We are able to freely discuss issues of sexuality and embrace age-based peer-to-peer learning. This is why the Church has the central Church and the children's and youth wings.?

Did COVID impact these sessions and space for young people?

During COVID, there was an increase in gender-based violence. There were a lot of additional unwanted pregnancies because children were not in school. Because of this ignorance, many children had sex out of choice and some out of force. Many get HIV because they don't know what's happening and may have multiple partners. So there's HIV prevalence, unwanted pregnancies and self-attempted / non-medical, secret abortions. It's killing a lot of young people, a lot of young children, and so for me, these are the reasons why we need access to CSE. Age-based information where children can learn about their bodies. They can learn about consent. They can learn how to speak up and fight for their rights.?

And do parents have a role here, too, in your opinion?

Definitely. Some of the issues that happened to me were because my parents were not observant and didn't know. I couldn't speak up to them because they didn't talk about these types of things due to our culture, what was seen as acceptable, and how they perceived life.?

We need to inform young people so that when it is their time, they are consciously starting a family/parenting. It includes learning from previous mistakes (parents/family) and the possibility of breaking these cycles of gender-based violence when becoming more intentional and having a parenting style that supports children's understanding of their sexuality and empowers their freedom of expression.

What would mark progress in the next 12 months?

Nigeria recently signed the WCA Commitment in April, which was fantastic! Success for me in the next 12 months would see the government taking action and creating a solid framework and measures for monitoring impact. These are being developed, and I’m proud to be part of the advisory Youth team on accountability for the WCA.

Want to find out more >> Listen to Chidinma’s podcast channel here:?

Apply podcasts:? https://apple.co/439J8uT

Spotify:? https://spoti.fi/3bTMsEN

Podcasters:? https://anchor.fm/adibeli-adesua