Sexual Assault Centre in Abuja Records 345 Gender Violence Incidents
A total of 345 cases of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) were reported at Awyetu Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) in Bwari General Hospital, Abuja, from 2020 to 2024, with 84% being children under 18.
This was revealed during a visit by Dr Najat M’jid, UN Special Representative on Violence Against Children.
Mrs Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, FCT Women Affairs Mandate Secretary, emphasized the need for stronger collaboration with security agencies and community participation to ensure justice for affected children.
Key details:
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313 affected people (90.7%) were female, and 32 were male.
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289 (83.7%) were children under 19.
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Only 18 new cases have been reported in 2024, so far, 17 were children.
The centre, established in 2020 under the EU’s Rule of Law and Anticorruption Programme, offers medical care, forensic evidence collection, legal aid, counselling, and referral services.
