By Aisha Gambo
The Salama Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, has recorded 3,977 cases of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) cases since its inception in 2019.
The centre’s director, Mrs Grace Abbin, made this known in a statement yesterday in Kaduna, which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
She stated that women and girls were the most affected, with 3,434 cases, and 543 men and boys were affected in Zone Three, which comprised eight local government areas.
She noted that 429 cases were of sexual assault on children and adults, while 3,548 cases were psychological or emotional and physical violence cases.
While breaking down the statistics, Abbin said the centre recorded and treated 219 cases in 2019, 582 cases in 2020, 1009 cases in 2021, and 788 cases in 2022.
She added that 822 cases were recorded and treated in 2023, while 557 cases were recorded from January to July 2024.
According to her, the culture of silence has been broken, and survivors need more support to access justice.
The director stated that the center’s services are free and include medical treatment, psychosocial counseling, and optional legal intervention.
She added that “through the intervention of Bridgethatgap, supported by UNWomen, we were able to engage survivors in Kachia and Kaura local government areas in mental health psychosocial support.
“We need more funding to help survivors access justice because lack of funding makes us lose evidence, making justice difficult.”
