By our reporter
The Salama Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Kafanchan, has taken the campaign of ending violence against women and girls to schools in the area as part of a 16-day activism against gender based violence.
The 16 days of activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual global campaign that kicks off on Nov. 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until Dec. 10, Human Rights Day.
The Centre in collaboration with the Centre for Integrated Health Programs (CIHP) took the campaign to the Government Secondary School (GSS) and Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS), in Kafanchan with this year’s theme; “Orange the world: End violence against women now!”
At GSS Kafanchan, the Centre Manager, Mrs Grace Abbin, told the students that violence against women manifests itself in physical, sexual and psychological forms.
Abbin decried the increased rate of violence against women, noting that it remained an obstacle to achieving equality as well as fulfillment of women and girls’ human rights.
She maintained that while gender based violence can also happen to men and boys, women and girls were more vulnerable.
According to her, the centre recorded 70 cases of sexual assault, mostly against women and girls in Kafanchan in the month of October alone.
Also speaking, the Centre Physician, Dr Gideon Goje, encouraged victims to overlook the issue of stigma and report to the centre for help, as the after-effects of sexual assault were worse than stigma.
Goje advised victims to always report to the Centre, within 72 hours of being abused, to enable medical experts extract the key ingredients needed to secure conviction of offenders.
In his remarks, the School Principal, Mr Simon Yusuf, thanked the Centre for extending the campaign to end violence against women and girls to schools in Kafanchan.
Yusuf enjoined the students to make the most of the knowledge acquired in making the society violence free and better for all.
A high point of the campaign was a debate by the students on whether or not indecent dressing was a justification for rape.
The campaign against gender based violence was replicated by the centre at Government Girls Secondary School.
Salama Centre is one of four in the state where victims of rape and other gender-based violence receive free counseling, medical and optional legal interventions.
