WARAKA Sexual Assault Seeks Budgetary Allocation

The Kano State WARAKA Sexual Assault and Referral Centre has appealed to the Kano state government to make budgetary allocations to assist survivors of Gender-Based Violence in the state.

WARAKA administration manager Abba Ahmed appealed for a three-day training for 50 GBV Survivors and those at risk organised by Bridge Connect Africa Initiatives (BCAI) in its Canadian-funded project of Women Against Violence Empowerment through Sustainability (WAVES).

According to him, the Centre has had limited financial and technical support from local and international partners, which has prevented it from being operational since March.

He added that GBV in the state is still alarming despite efforts to address the issue, noting that it has an average record of 30-38 cases per month of sexual assaults, mostly among young children.

However, he stressed the need for the state to support these vulnerable groups, pointing out that they are citizens of the state who deserve attention to their social and general well-being.

While lamenting the low technical support for capacity building, facility tools, and support for survivors to recover and reintegrate into society, he said the centre primarily handles cases of sexual violence, including sexual assault and rape and makes referrals on other types of GBV to other agencies.

In her remarks, BCAI’s Communication officer, Juliet Nwobodo, noted that the WAVES project aims to empower and train women on GBV over a period of five months.

She also highlighted that the organisation tends to establish relationships with the women and link them with facilities working on GBV, such as the Police, Lawyers offering pro bono services, and facilities providing counselling and support services, hinting that many women are not aware of the laws and processes available to support GBV survivors.