The Salama Sexual Assault Referral Center (SARC) in Kaduna state recorded 1,162 cases of sexual and gender based violence since its inception in 2019, an official, Mrs Grace Yohanna-Abbim, has said.
Yohanna- Abbin, the Manager of the Center, located within the precinct of the Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa Memorial Hospital, Kafanchan, disclosed this in a statement made available to our correspondent on Thursday.
She said that the number of recorded cases covered the period since its inception to April 30, adding that women and children were the most affected.
“As at 2019 when the centre was opened we had 219 reported cases, in 2020 we recorded 582 and from January to April 30 we have 361 making it 1,162 cases,’’ the manager said.
Giving a breakdown of cases, Yohanna-Abbin said that by gender 987 females while 175 males, were attended to with 238 below 17 years old while 924 were adults aged 18 and above.
The manager added that 180 cases were connected to rape while 982 were indecent assaults.
She explained that the center had embarked on sensitisation campaigns for zero tolerance to sexual and gender based violence to Jema’a and Kajuru local government areas.
Yohanna -Abbin said that the sensitisation campaign was supported by Nigeria Early Recovery Initiative-Creative (NERI-USAID) in partnership with the Kaduna State Ministry of Human Services and Social Development.
She said that SARC’s vision was to attain a society free from all forms of sexual and gender based violence with the collaboration of every stakeholder.
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