CSO urges skit maker to stop portraying children, women, as sex objects

Wunmi Semudara

The Centre for Accountability and Public Participation has lamented the high rate at which children  are portrayed as sex object in skits shot in Nigeria.

According to the Civil Society Organisation,  objectification of women and the sexualisation of children in skits over time has become a developing trend.

The  organization stressed that skits containing such harmful and repulsive storylines perpetuate dangerous stereotypes that validate the exploitation of vulnerable individuals. It also shows a culture of misogyny, sexism and violence in the country.

Disclosing this in  a statement signed by Zikora Ibeh, CAPPA Policy and Research Officer, the CSO with grave concern mentioned numerous instances where such comic videos also exploit the innocence of children for entertainment purposes.

The statement referenced the April 9 occurrence where two Instagram comedians posted a now-deleted skit featuring a two-year-old girl who was the subject of an inappropriate sexual scenario and was abused by a male adult depicted as the landlord in the video.

It also recalled that on April 4, another popular Facebook page shared a video featuring a distressed and undressed hotel secretary, who was pleading with a man filming her to stop. It was learnt that the individual had initially engaged the woman in a consensual arrangement, but as soon as she removed her clothes while inside a room with him, he revealed that the entire situation was a prank, and a third party was recording. Subsequently, he shared the footage, pontificating on her morals and those of Nigerian women more broadly. These are just but a few out of numerous similar videos uploaded daily online in Nigeria, they noted.

CAPPA stated that “these comedy skits have crossed the line of human decency and morality, and that Nigerians must urgently confront the glaring issues they promote.”

In addition, the sexualization of minors and dehumanisation of young women in the videos are particularly disturbing as inappropriate and offensive jokes are made about their bodies, clothing, and behaviour. This pattern trivialises and holds the potential to ultimately normalise the issue of child exploitation and violation of people’s right to dignity, CAPPA pointed out.