Today in Bangem, Visionary Care Foundation (VCF) Cameroon facilitated an eye-opening session with primary school children on understanding and preventing sexual abuse. We began by asking a simple question: “Who do you trust?”
Their answers were innocent and predictable: parents, teachers, relatives, and familiar adults. Strangers, they said, were the ones they did not trust.
Yet the difficult truth we guided them to discover was this:
- Most abusers are not strangers – they are the trusted ones.
Through a warm, interactive, and age-appropriate discussion, pupils learned key warning signs that should never be ignored, including:
- Adults asking them to keep secrets from their parents
- Anyone calling a child “my wife”
- People insisting on being alone with them
- Invitations into dark or isolated places
- Gifts given in exchange for silence
- Requests to sit on laps or touch private parts
- Visits made when parents are not home
- Attempts to show adult content or take nude photos
- Anyone offering alcohol, cigarettes, or substances
Many children bravely shared stories that revealed the depth of the problem and reinforced the urgency of early intervention.
- Beyond Awareness – We Empowered Action
The session focused not only on recognizing abuse, but also on:
- Who to talk to
- Where to report
- How to seek help
What it means to trust a safe adult
At VCF Cameroon, we believe in proactive, preventive education that strengthens children’s capacity to protect themselves—because they are not always in the presence of adults who will protect them.
Our Commitment
We will continue “catching them young”, equipping children with the knowledge, confidence, and courage to stay safe.
Because:
- Every child deserves protection.
- Every child deserves to be believed.
- Every child deserves safety.
