With statistics showing that over 19 million Nigerian children experience sexual violence before the age of 18, child advocates at the weekend in Lagos said that the adoption of child forensic interviews in the country’s justice system remains a game-changer in securing justice for victims of child sexual abuse.To this end, a United States-based organisation, Zero Abuse Project in partnership with the Cece Yara Child Advocacy Centre has graduated 30 Nigerians from the justice sector, child protection sector, and law enforcement, as child forensic interviewers for child sexual assault.Speaking during the graduation ceremony, the founder of Cece Yara Child Advocacy Centre, Mrs Bola Tinubu who lamented the increasing cases of child abuse in Nigeria described the situation as endemic criminal behaviour.Noting that investigation and prosecution of child sexual abuse requires enormous law enforcement and professionals in the justice sector and child protective services, she argued that the current fragmented and depreciative investigative process in the country tends to cause additional trauma to the child as it doesn’t always produce the objective and unassailable evidence of a child’s testimony that is necessary to secure that successful prosecution.“As a child is taken from one agency to another, and is made to relive the trauma of that abuse, the pressure of having to repeat the details of the abuse often leads to the child either recanting or retracting that testimony.“Many families cannot even bear to put their children, who are already traumatised, through that process. And they simply give up. They give up on seeking justice for their child.“There’s also the issue of the potential distortion of information that is elicited from the child during the traditional interview process.”So to address these problems, she said the Cece Yara Child Advocacy Centre is at the forefront of advocacy for the formal adoption of a child forensic interview with the criminal justice system.She posited that such a regulatory standard will embed global best practices in the investigation and prosecution of child sexual abuse cases.Interviewing children to elicit evidence requires a special skill; hence, she said the graduation of the 30 child-focused professionals was the beginning of a new era of child forensic interviewing in Nigeria.Tinubu explained that to successfully prosecute these perpetrators, they needed to provide the courts with the best evidence of what abuse is and the child’s testimony.On her part, Mrs Bisi Ajayi-Kayode explained that a child forensic interview is a structural process of eliciting evidential information from a child about a crime or an event the child has refused to express in an age-appropriate and developmentally sensitive manner.Ajayi-Kayode said a forensic interview is conducted by a competent trained and certified forensic interviewer using forensic interview equipment and technology and observation.She said with forensic interview there are no hiding places for perpetrators, adding that the Lagos State government has embraced the process.Speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of The Cece Yara Foundation, Adetutu Ajibodu said they are not just shaping professionals, but shaping a future where every child in Africa, especially Nigeria, is protected, heard, and allowed to thrive without fear.She described the forensic interview training academy as the beacon of hope and progress.She said the Cece Yara Child Advocacy Centre in collaboration with the esteemed Zero Abuse Project, successfully pioneered the initiative -The ChildFirst Forensic Interview Training as a transformative force that equips professionals with specialised skills crucial for the delicate task of conducting sensitive and effective forensic interviews with children.She said as the first academy on the continent, we take pride in setting a precedent that will echo across borders, inspiring others to join the mission of creating safer spaces for children in Africa.Speaking, the Chief Executive, of Zero Abuse Project, Mr Jeff Dion who congratulated the graduates, said the Zero Abuse Project envisions a world where every child is free from abuse, hence the need for everyone to be part of the solution.Stressing the importance of forensic interviews, and the tremendous impact and life-lasting effects of childhood sexual abuse, Jeff said children are the most vulnerable members of society but with the help of the forensic interviewers; the child doesn’t have to be responsible.“They don’t have to shoulder that burden. The burden can be shouldered by the evidence and the evidence can relieve the child from having to be believed and can support the child.”He said in their country that an effective forensic interview by an effective forensic interview can yield between 20 and 40 pieces of corroborating evidence which can help make that child’s case.He said forensic interview is a relatively new process and probably not more than 40 years old.“As offenders take advantage, we also must be aware of technology and use it as a tool to safeguard children and make sure that we are aware of it so that forensic interviewers can ask the appropriate questions that are going to help uncover and identify that evidence.