To provide all-round support for victims of sexual assault, Ekiti has established a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Moji Fafure, disclosed in a statement.
Governor Kayode Fayemi said that the centre would provide free, one-stop, survivor-centered care. He added that the centre prioritises the rights and needs of survivors of sexual violence.
Following the directive of the Governor, the Centre was set up by the Ekiti Gender-Based Violence Law Management Committee — saddled with implementing the 2019 GBV Law in the State — headed by the First Lady Erelu Bisi Fayemi.
This is coming at a time when there is outrage over increasing cases of sexual violence against women and children across the country. Civil society organisations have said that many victims of sexual assault neither report nor seek justice because of challenges, including cost of collecting evidence, getting the police to investigate, support for the victim and stigmatization.
The SARC in Ekiti, also called Moremi, would provide all the care and support a victim needs without any cost.
The government said the Centre would collect and process forensic evidence, provide medico-legal report, support for going through the legal process, among others.
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