A research and advocacy group, Centre for Gender Economic in Africa (CGE Africa) has called on the Cross River State Government to establish a Centre that will provide emergency response to victims of sexual assault and molestation.
Executive Director of CGE Africa, Mrs. Uchenna Idoko, made the call while answering questions from LEADERSHIP on Saturday in Calabar, Cross River State capital.
Idoko who spoke shortly after an event on gender responsive budgeting for sexual and sender-based violence (SGBV), prevention and mitigation project, stated that the proposed Centre would serve as a place for sexual molestation victims to seek help on sexual assault issues.
“All we are seeking for is a centre where survivors can run to in events of rape or molestation for evidence to be taken.
“A place where young girls who had suffered sexual molestation can receive psycho-social and medical support.
“We are talking of a centre where security personnel can take survivors’ statement for victims to get justice that they deserved.
“This is why we want the state government to establish active FUNSAC Centre that will be useful and known across the state.
“It’s the reason why we want state government to ensure that once something of this nature happens, neighbours, churches, mosques quickly let the centre know about the incident”, she said.
Idoko urged residents of the state to ensure that victims of sexual molestation get the requisite assistance to access the facility.
“If this is all we have achieved, I can beat my hand on my chest that this project is a success story.
“The way women bodies are built, these category of men see it as an object of sex. Anywhere you are, even when you are still in school, they want to sexualize you.
“Musicians, actors are also neither helping matters, all they sing about is a ‘bom-bom’ and breast, this is really disgusting. Government should rise to the occasion to fund this orientation,” she appealed.
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