DOZENS of Nigerians gathered to celebrate the 15h anniversary of children's charity Africans United Against Child Abuse (Afruca) in London yesterday at the Greenwich Town Hall in Woolwich in southeast London.
Founded in 2001 in the wake of the death of Damilola Taylor, Afruca has campaigned tirelessly against child trafficking in the UK and the use of corporal punishment to chastise kids. Among its functions include educating African parents about what is legal and advising them on what actions to take that will prevent their children from being taken into care.
Among the guests at the event were mayor of Greenwich Councillor Olu Babatola and the deputy mayor of Thurrock Councillor Tunde Ojetola. In an evening that was laced with entertainment and music, speeches were given about how to address the growing menace of child abuse, especially among young African women and girls.
Africa chief executive Debbie Ariyo said: "We we started 15 years ago, I began with a website and had no idea that we would end up with a full blown charity. Today, I am pleased with what we have achieved as we have helped countless children and youngsters, including those brought to the UK as domestic servants."
Councillor Babatola added that he decided to make Afruca his mayoral charity because it was doing good work within the community and needed to be supported. Councillor Ojetola used the occasion to urge Africans in the UK to get involved in their local communities one way or another, be it as a school governor or volunteering to help their local authority.
Afruca chairman Janet Latinwo, pointed out that as a lawyer working in the public sector in the area of child protection, she sees a lot of the abuse first hand. Traumas which young African girls have to go through include female genital mutilation, arranged marriages and domestic servitude.
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