centre, opened its doors to victims of sexual assault. A 10-
month-old baby girl and a 70-year-old woman were among a
total of 737 survivors of rape and other forms of sexual
assault treated and offered psychosocial support free of
charge. The baby was sexually molested by the father, while
the 70-year-old woman was raped by a boy that ran errands
for her in the neighbourhood.
Making this and other revelations yesterday in Lagos,
Managing Partner, Partnership for Justice, Mrs. Itoro Eze-
Anaba, said the increase in reported cases of sexual
violence, particularly, child sexual abuse has become a
major concern in the country. Eze-Anaba who acknowledged
that sexual violence has become rampant said Mirabel
Centre was established to fill the gap created by one of the
biggest challenges in seeking justice for the survivors who
often lack reliable support services and verifiable data.
According to her, more revealing is the fact that out of the
737victims, the youngest was a 10-month- old and the
oldest 70 years old.
“This number is made up of 17 male clients and 720 female
clients. Many of these clients are referred to the centre by
the police and the hospital, civil society organisations,
government agencies and some just walk into the centre for
treatment.
“In Lagos, locations with the highest number of assaults
include; Kosofe, 91, Alimosho 128, Ikeja 56, Oshodi-Isolo 72,
and Agege 80,” she stated. She further lamented that the
perpetrators of sexual violence in the country act with
impunity due to corruption and incompetency in
investigation and prosecution of such cases. Stating that
Partnership for Justice offers needed professional care with
funding from Justice for All Programme of the Department of
International Development, DFID, of the British Council, she
frowned that absence of verifiable data and pressures from
family and friends has led to many survivors not seeking
help nor reporting to the police.
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