Catholic Nun in Nigeria Urges Women Religious to Speak out against Abuses

By Abah Anthony John

Abuja, 31 May, 2024 / 11:30 pm (ACI Africa).

A Catholic Nun in Nigeria has urged women religious in the West African nation to speak out against any form of abuse against them or other vulnerable groups in the society. 

In an interview with ACI Africa Wednesday May 29 on the sidelines of a three-day safeguarding workshop in Nigeria, Sr. Paulina Chioma Ogbonnaya blamed the high rate of abuse targeting women religious and other vulnerable groups in the country on fear and ignorance.

 “Abuse has been going on for quite a long time among vulnerable groups and some of the reasons why this trend continues is the culture of fear and sometimes ignorance,” Sr. Ogbonnaya told ACI Africa. “Victims are afraid to speak out against abuse and this has always emboldened the perpetrators of this crime,” she said.

Credit: ACI Africa

The member of the Dominican Sister of St. Catherine of Siena clarified that abuse is not only sexual in nature, and explained, “There are other forms of abuses and the main issue about abuse comes from exercising power over others especially on the vulnerable ones.”