EKOSODIN COMMUNITY

This study examined how cultural factors influence the reporting of sexual abuse among teenagers in Ekosodin Community. The research focused on the ways cultural beliefs, family stigma, gender expectations, and institutional barriers shape whether young people disclose abuse. A total of 384 respondents aged 13 to 17 participated, with data collected through a structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics. The findings show that cultural silence, taboo attitudes toward sexual matters, and honour-based thinking strongly affect how teenagers interpret abuse. Many respondents indicated that victims are seen as bringing shame to their families, which discourages disclosure. Family stigma emerged as a major barrier, with most teenagers reporting that families fear reputational damage and often suppress discussion of abuse. Gender also played a notable role in the reporting of abuse. Girls were viewed as more believable when reporting abuse, while boys faced doubt tied to expectations of strength and emotional toughness. The study further revealed widespread distrust of authorities, long delays in case handling, and perceptions of bias or corruption in formal reporting channels. Respondents identified the involvement of trusted community leaders, confidential reporting structures, and school-based awareness programmes as strategies that could encourage disclosure. The study concludes that under-reporting in Ekosodin is sustained by an interplay of cultural norms, family pressures, gendered beliefs, and institutional weaknesses. It recommends community-driven education, strengthened family support, gender-sensitive interventions, and improved institutional responsiveness as essential steps toward creating an environment where teenagers can report sexual abuse safely and without fear.

This study examined the effects of parental substance abuse on children in Ekosodin Community, Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. The research specifically explored the types of substances commonly abused by parents, the psychological, social, and academic impacts on their children, and the coping mechanisms adopted by these children.Primary data were collected through the administration of eighty (80) structured questionnaires to respondents selected fromhouseholds within the study area.The data were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods,including frequency and percentage distributions. Findings revealed that alcohol (43.8%) and cannabis (31.3%) were the most commonly abused substances among parents in the community, followed by tramadol (12.5%) and codeine syrup (7.5%).The study further showed that children exposed to parental substance abuse experience significant psychological distress manifesting as depression (27.5%), anxiety(22.5%), and low self-esteem (18.8%). Socially, the children exhibited poor social interaction (26.3%), truancy (23.8%), and exposure to domestic violence (21.3%), while academically, they recorded poor grades (37.5%), low concentration (25.0%), and
irregular school attendance (18.8%). Coping mechanisms adopted by these children included seeking support from relatives and teachers (30%), emotional withdrawal (25%), counselling (18.8%), and participation in religious activities (15%). The study concludes that parental substance abuse in Ekosodin significantly undermines children’s emotional stability, social adjustment, and academic achievement, thereby threatening their holistic development. It recommends community-based rehabilitation programs, family counselling, and public sensitization on the dangers of substance abuse

The study examined the correlates of community development and women empowerment in Ekosodin community, Edo states. The objective of the study was to determine the correlation that exists between community development and women empowerment in Ekosodin community; ascertain the empowerment initiatives available for women in Ekosodin community; ascertain the impact of governmental community activities in the empowerment of the women with community development in Ekosodin community and to ascertain the factors that may militate against women’s full empowerment and participation in community development processes in Ekosodin community. The cross sectional research design was adopted for this study. 381 copies of questionnaire were distributed to 381 respondents in respondents in Ekosodin community, Edo state. Data collected were analyzed using frequency count, percentages and mean, with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 24.0. The empirical result revealed that women empowerment enables women in the community to control their economic and social aspect of life and that empowering women is essential to the health and social development of families, communities. The study recommends that the women should be given the opportunity to be fully involved in the development planning process right from the grassroots or community to the national levels and that skill acquisition for women should be a recurring decimal for women in the communities.

INTRODUCTION: Community pharmacies play a crucial role in providing healthcare services to the general population including students but there is limited research on how this particular demographic perceives and engages community pharmacies. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to investigate university students’ perception towards community pharmacies and their health services in Ekosodin community, Benin City, Edo state. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 university students living in the Ekosodin community. A self-administered questionnaire was the primary tool for data collection and consisted of 3 sections: respondent’s demographics, reasons for/frequency of pharmacy visits and assessment of satisfaction levels and action able feedback. Collected data were analyzed through both descriptive and inferential statistics using statistical software such as the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 21). RESULTS: Out of 400 respondents, 344 (86%) identified medicine purchases as the main reason for visiting the community pharmacy. The role of the pharmacist was seen as satisfactory with a mean score of 4.10 (maximum of 5) while commonly expected health screening services were blood pressure measurements and malaria parasite tests (253, 63%). The majority (273, 68.3%) were willing to discuss medicines prescribed for them with the pharmacist with a lack of privacy often cited as the main barrier to communication (239, 59.8%). CONCLUSION: The study revealed that the majority of university students were satisfied with the provided health services and perceive community pharmacists as drug experts whom they can willingly discuss medication issues with. However, the lack of privacy in the pharmacy hindered effective communication.