Anambra Rape Centre Records 107 Sexual Assault Cases In 2020

The Ntasi Centre for Sexual Assault Cases located at Enugwu Ukwu General Hospital in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State has recorded 107 cases related to rape and sexual assaults since its establishment, THE WHISTLER gathered weekend.

The centre manager, Dr Benedette Uchendu, said the agency, which was inaugurated on Sept. 17, 2019, was to help in addressing incidents of sexual assaults in the state.

Uchendu, a Reverend Sister, said, “We offer free medical, counselling and legal services to all victims that come to our centre. The cases we have treated here have been so pathetic. We treated a case of a four-year-old girl who was molested by 60-year-old man; as well as five boys who were raped by a man, and so many others.’’

She commended the government for partnering with the European Union (EU) through the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (ROLAC) in establishing the referral centre. According to her, the facility was established by ROLAC in five focal states of Adamawa, Anambra, Edo, Kano and Lagos, adding that its focus was on ensuring that women and children had access to justice in the face of sexual molestations.

“Most of the victims are from poor backgrounds; the perpetrators take advantage of them, believing that no one could speak for them. I urge the state government to provide more funding and shelter for the centre to take care of the needs of victims that surge the facility,” she revealed.

On the four-year-old child, she said, “Her urinary organ was badly damaged. The child was given drugs, but needed further treatment to repair her urinary organ, but the centre cannot afford the cost of such treatment. We offer free services to victims, but we have realised that most people that have reported here do not have money for treatment; on several occasions I give out my money for their transportation back home.

“The perpetrators threaten their lives if they complain to us, but if we have shelter, we can keep them until their cases are over.’”

She therefore called on donors, especially those who pledged to come to the aid of some of the victims, including Women Aid Collective (WACOL), an Enugu-based NGO, to fulfill their promises.

She further called on mothers and guardians to keep their eyes on their children, and avoid leaving them under the care of strangers or those they did not trust. She also called on good-spirited individuals to report rape cases and other forms of sexual assaults to the facility for proper follow-up in accordance with the rule of law.