Voice of the Young, on Saturday May 5th, celebrated its first-ever Children’s Bantaba at the President International Award Scheme Conference Hall in Bakau.

The theme for this year’s bantaba is "Children need Protection Against Sexual Abuse, Not your Silence."  
In his welcoming remarks, Lamin Ceesay, President of the Voice of the Young, said the bantaba is held in recognition of the fact that children are sexually abused and exploited in areas where they are supposed to be protected.
According to him, such abuses are usually kept secret, and victims frequently left to carry an enormous burden of guilt and shame.

He added, "Due to various factors and in consideration of the parties involved, when the abuse comes to the family’s awareness, they do not report the abuse to the relevant authorities".
Thus the bantaba, he went on, was meant to enhance the knowledge and understanding of people about child sexual abuse in homes and communities.
For her part, the Director of Social Welfare, Fanta Bai Secka, described the event as a step in the right direction as it helps children to come out with their problems.
She told the gathering that such menaces should be reported to her department in order to put an end to sexual abuse in the country.

The organisation then presented a written declaration to Mrs. Secka, who promised that action would be taken concerning the declaration, and advised them to discuss issues affecting their lives.
Alieu Darboe, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Child Protection Alliance, who also spoke at the ceremony, urged children to protect themselves from all forms of sexual abuse. The bantaba was attended by 150 children from different schools across the country.