The Salama Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) at the Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa Memorial Hospital, Kafanchan, has called on residents to report any kind of sexual, emotional and physical violence to the centre for free counselling, medical and legal intervention.
The centre said keeping silence could only encourage rapists and sexual predators to continue their ugly activities on the vulnerable.
- Death of raped teen sparks tension in Bayelsa community
- My 11-year old daughter was gang-raped to death
Speaking with Arewa Trust Weekly, the Manager of the centre, Grace Yohanna Abbin, stated that: “We are calling on everyone to join in this war of ending sexual, gender-based violence in Kafanchan and its environs. To do that, we all need to ensure the three key points of prevention, protection and accountability.”
Abbin called for increased partnership with grassroot organisations, civil societies and key stakeholders in the community, including men and boys to prevent reoccurrence of gender-based violence.
“Protection from gender-based violence can be achieved by identifying and providing services to survivors once the violence occurs. Secondly, we believe in accountability to ensure that perpetrators are prosecuted and to end impunity by strengthening legal and judicial systems,” she added.
