‘Gender-based sexual violence, 3rd most reported’ crime

Gender-based sexual violence has been described as the third most reported crime in Nigeria after robbery and kidnapping.

A representative of Project Alert, Dr Auwal Ahmad, who disclosed this in Sokoto, also noted that child sexual abuse was an epidemic that needs urgent attention and response.

He said that 70 per cent of the reported cases of sexual abuse involved children.

Ahmad was speaking at a Project Alert/Spotlight Initiative capacity building for Civil Society Organisations and right groups on referral services.

The permanent secretary, Sokoto State Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Hajiya A’isha Dantsoho, said a sexual assaults’ referral centre had been established in the state to provide immediate and long -term remedies for survivors of gender-based sexual violence.

She said strategies and polices were in place to check the ugly trend.

A’isha described the fight against sexual violence as a collective responsibility.

The Project Alert focal person, Dr Muddassir Ahmad-Gado, said community groups were being trained on ways to offer services to survivors and how to respond to other forms of violence against women.