WARIF opens sexual referral centre for victims in Lagos

In its pursuit of a society devoid of rape and sexual violence against women and the girl child, Women at Risk International Foundation, WARIF, a non-governmental organisation, has opened a sexual referral centre for victims of sexual assault on Sunday in Yaba, Lagos.

The centre which serves as the first initiative of the foundation will target the urgent and crucial needs of survivors of sexual violence by providing services to potential victims of sexual assault at a no-cost base.

Addressing journalists at a press conference that marked the event, Kemi DaSilva Ibru, Founder, WARIF, said: “It is our primary social responsibility to ensure that all young girls and women live in a society free of rape and sexual violence. The opening of WARIF Centre is by Women at Risk International Foundation, WARIF, is the first of many initiatives that will be set up by the foundation and the first step on its journey towards achieving this goal.”

The facility will serve as place where anyone who has fallen prey of the problem can run to for medical care, social support and promotion of her wellbeing, and empowerment.

“The centre will offer care from a three-pronged approach: from medical attention because it’s a medical facility offering necessary tests that patients or survivors might need; we would also address their psychosocial needs by having Indira discuss her background; and we’ll also be relying on our long list of organisation we would be collaborating with to provide the needs of welfare all for free to anyone who has been raped, and walks through this door without any qualification or criteria”, said Ibru, arguing that all women have the potential risk of being survivors.

The centre was also said to have been set up with strong collaborating links both with the government of Lagos State, Washington DC Rape Crisis Centre, DCRCC, and a host of other local non-government organisations and associated agencies that provide shelter/half way homes; legal aid and vocational skills centres in order to create an efficient system that works.

Responding to questions from journalists on the initiative, Ibru said that “WARIF is bringing initiatives that will be effective. It is bringing with it a structure that can be added to the existing infrastructure and improve upon it.”

Commenting on whether Nigeria has successfully broken the culture of silence surrounding the issue of sexual abuse, especially of the girl child, Ibru said that the country has “certainly not broken it”, and stressed on the need for “more dialogue.”

“We need more conversation, more awareness and I think it starts with centres like this, where women can come, knowing it’s a safe haven, knowing their confidentiality is assured, and that they are safe from their perpetrators, and to give them the sense of self-esteem to go out there and tell their stories in order to raise awareness so that we can address this problem”, she asserted.

A study by the National Survey conducted in 2014 on Violence against Children in Nigeria confirmed that one in four females reported experiencing sexual violence in childhood with approximately 70 per cent reporting more than one incident of sexual violence. The study also showed that 24 per cent of females ages 18 to 24 experienced sexual abuse prior to 18.

Hence, “in order to prevent this from happening, we’ll start to look at the existing campaigns, bring forth educational changes, and raise awareness to start different initiatives. It’s a long journey, but we have to start somewhere”, according to Ibru.

DayoOlumole, Principal Consultant, Kasher Consulting,also hinted that since children are the heart of the foundation, leading to creation of the centre, one of the things they would do in January is to build a programme that would go into the schools to train teachers and students, particularly the young boys because education is key to preventing the problem.

Also present at the event was Indira M.Henard, Executive Director, DCRCC,

“I am pleased to be collaborating on this global initiative. It is important that the international community come together to not only address gender-based violence, but also create resources and freedom for all. The opening of Women at Risk International Foundation Centre does just that; it is a game changer for being able to educate and access resources for sexual assault survivors in a timely manner”, Henard said.

The WARIF Centre, located at 6 Turton Street, Offthorburn Avenue, Yaba, Lagos will be opened to the general public from December 1, 2016.

Desmond Okon