Stakeholders Want Sexual Assault Referral Centres In Osun

Yusuf Oketola

Community Advancement Initiative for Self-reliance (CAI4SR) in conjunction with Lawyers Alert on Sexual Gender-based Violence, (SGBV) campaign has advocated the establishment of Sexual Assault referral centres to address sexual and gender-based violence in the State of Osun.

This is part of the SCALE Component Five by USAID on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and Child, Early and Forced Marriage (CEFM) sector on strengthening of advocacy.

The Executive Director, CAI4SR, Mrs. Eni Ayeni, who made the call in an advocacy visit to the Director of Public Health, Dr. Hakeem Bello, in Osogbo, on Tuesday, noted that the activation and implementation of Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law (VAPPL) and Administration of Criminal Justice Law, (ACJL) is targeted at five states including Osun, and the FCT.

Ayeni said if the sexual assault referral centre is in place, it would aid speedy justice service delivery and resolution of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence cases with the VAPP and ACJ laws.

In their goodwill messages, the chairman of Joint National Association of Persons with Disability, Mr Oluwafemi Stephen and JONAPWD Women Wing Coordinator, Mrs Funmi Abdullahi, expressed the need for identification of children with disability in mainstream schools and provision of medical intervention and free access and health support services to PWDs in the state.

In his response, Bello lauded the organisation for being women, children and persons with disabilities-friendly, stating that the state government is ready to partner organisations in providing the needed enabling environment for its targets.