The Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF) an NGO, says that 69 per cent of rape and sexual violence survivors in Nigeria are under the age of 18.
Dr Kemi DaSilva-Ibru, founder, WARIF, in a statement on Tuesday, said that the statistics was arrived at after a compilation of reported and handled cases at the WARIF Rape Crisis centre in Lagos.
“WARIF is a non-profit organisation, set up in response to the high incidence of rape and sexual violence in Nigeria.
“We decided to release this data to expose the alarming rate of rape and sexual violence incidents especially among minors.
“Our data shows that the centre has attended to about 1,100 girls in the last three years, out of which 759 (69 per cent) were minors between the ages of 0 and 17 years old.
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“Based on monitoring and evaluation of the number of these cases, the incidents of sexual assault was highest in 2018 making up 45 per cent of the incidents reported till date,” she said.
DaSilva-Ibru, also an Obstetrician and Gynecologist, lamented that about 25 per cent of the female population in the country were being exposed to various acts of sexual violence and rape.
She said that the alarming rate of sexual violence prompted the establishment of the WARIF centre to respond to a grave need in the society.
“Majority of these young women have nowhere to access free health care or seek help after their abuse.
“At WARIF, we ensure that all women are supported with all their needs to address their healing and recovery process.
“The centre offers immediate medical care to survivors including Forensic medical examinations, treatment of physical injuries and the dispensation of Emergency Contraceptives.
“We also administer Post Exposure Prophylaxis which prevents HIV/AIDS, Psychosocial counseling, and referrals for associated services such as Legal Aid among others.
“Our aim is to reduce these numbers by using holistic “WARIF Approach” to tackle these issues through sensitisation programmes and Post Incident Care for survivors of gender-based violence,” she said.(NAN)