When it Feels Like Giving Up

Dear blog visitor and reader, I apologize for my long absence on blog posts. Too many factors came in the way. I had actually written some materials to post on my link but the sheer volume of occurrences of some of the issues in question and the apparent feeling of helplessness in addressing them was quite overwhelming. One of the issues is sexual violence especially childhood sexual assault. There was hardly a day that would go by (on monitoring media reports), that another gory story of a violation of a child would not turn up. After the usual apparent outrage by the public, the matter naturally dies off and nothing is done to tackle the issue.
The police appear ill equipped to handle these cases because of poor or lack of training in this aspect and lack of requisite equipment, and there are also obstacles occasioned by lack of protocol for collection of credible evidence and attendant technical blockades in the judiciary.
Generally, the issue of management of sexual violence is not a priority for a health sector grappling with budget issues while facing myriads of communicable and non communicable diseases prevalent in our communities.
This and other forensic issues remain an orphan in most of African countries. Everyone talks and pities the situation but there is very little investment in human and material resources, and practically no institutional changes are implemented in tackling the fundamental problems.
I've made presentations before stakeholders, government agencies and NGOs, and I've met with government officials whose offices I reckoned could drive a change. However, the status remains the same and there is a tendency of thinking it is a hopeless situation in our generation to take concrete action in protecting the vulnerable in our community. I've attended to cases of sexual violence in children which reached a dead end even before actual case management began because the kind of multidisciplinary and multi-agency team work required to make any meaningful impact is simply lacking.
So where do we go from here?

2014 ended on a most tragic note. The sudden death of my teacher, senior colleague, a mentor and friend shattered any fragile stability in place. Prof Effiong Essien Udo Akang, an eminent Pathologist and Neuropathologist, was the best friend a colleague could have. He was ever supportive and was a shoulder for younger colleagues to lean on especially when disillusionment beckoned. He was also my Head of Department. The sudden and unexpected nature of the incident made it even more painful. One can only hope for some recovery from this irreparable trauma occasioned by the sudden exist of someone I had interacted with on daily basis for as long as I could recall. He was my family; he was dependable and someone to confide in.

Prof Akang died on 31 December, 2014. He left a huge void that may never be filled and I will miss him every day of this life; every day I pass beside his office door almost knocking as usual to exchange ideas or pleasantries. Indeed it is hard to say Goodbye!