The rate of sexual and domestic violence and exploitation of women and girls across the country continues to rise in spite of various campaigns by the government and stakeholders to check the scourge.
Unrelenting though, the Wife of Ekiti State Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi has commissioned two new satellite Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) for GBV survivors in support of the efforts being made to end GBV as well as provide care for victims.
The two satellite SARCs being an extension of Moremi Clinic located inside Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, EKSUTH Ado-Ekiti, are located at the State Specialist Hospitals, Ikole-Ekiti, and Ikere-Ekiti.
Speaking at the events, Erelu Fayemi charged the people to desist from harbouring violators of the Gender-Based Violence (prohibition) law no matter their position in the community but rather expose them to the appropriate authorities.
She emphasized that the Dr. Kayode Fayemi-led administration has zero tolerance for Gender-Based Violence most especially sexual assault and assured that anyone found culpable would be severely punished.
According to the Governor’s wife, the Moremi clinics would serve as venues where sexual assault survivors’ rights and interests are protected and their dignity respected.
“The centres were established to offer free services for Gender-Based Violence survivors in the area of medical assistance, legal, psychological among others”, she stressed.
Assuring the sustainability of the clinics, the wife of Ekiti State Governor-elect, Dr. Yemi Oyebanji, reiterated her support and commitment to curbing GBV and other advocacy programs of Erelu Fayemi, noting that the incoming administration would not suspend any of the ongoing programs but rather continue and improve on them.
In their remarks, the Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Banji Filani, and his Education, Science, and Technology counterpart, Dr. Mrs. Olabimpe Aderiye eulogised the First Lady’s multidimensional approach to solving problems, noting that the new satellite Sexual Assault and Referral Centers are established to serve not only the towns where they are located but the Senatorial Districts and their environs.
Earlier in an address, the Sexual Assault Referral Centres Coordinator in Ekiti State, Barrister Rita Ilevbare noted that the two new Centres would make the 34th SARCs across 19 states in Nigeria. She further enjoined staff of the clinics to see their duties as calls to national service which requires due diligence, empathy, and utmost confidentiality.
The coordinator also appealed to security agencies to support the functionalities of the clinics noting that no matter how urgent the case, access to psychosocial and medical intervention is paramount.
In June 2020, Ekiti State Government announced the opening of the Ekiti State Sexual Assault Referral Centre, SARC. The Ekiti SARC, known as Moremi Clinic, is a free, one-stop, survivor-centred initiative that prioritises the rights and needs of survivors of sexual violence.
