by Bolanle Lawal
Wife of Ekiti Governor, Mrs Bisi Fayemi on Thursday, inaugurated more sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC) to victims of sexual assault.Inaugurating the centres in Ikole-Ekiti and Ikere-Ekiti, Fayemi emphasised the need for community dwellers to expose violators of sexual assault laws no matter how highly placed.
She reiterated zero tolerance for Gender Based Violence, (GBV) most especially sexual assault, with the assurance that anyone found culpable would not be spared.Mrs Fayemi explained that the centres were established to offer free services for survivors in the area of medical assistance, legal, psychological, law enforcement, among others.In their remarks, the Commissioner for Health and Human services, Dr Oyebanji Filani and his counterpart in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology , Dr Adebimpe Aderiye, thanked the governor’s wife for her support for victims.
They that the centres would serve the North and South senatorial districts where they were located, noting that traumatised students are adequately provided for in the arrangement of the facilities.Also, the State Coordinator, Sexual Assault Referal centres, Mrs Rita ilevbare, charged staff of the two centres to see their duties as a call to national service which required due diligence, empathy, utmost confidentiality and at times personal financial cost.She appealed to security agencies to support the functionalities of the centres to achieve success.
NAN reports that apart from, Moremi referral centre at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, (EKSUTH) , Ado-Ekiti, the newly inaugurated centres were located within the premises of the specialist hospitals in the towns. Dignitaries at the inauguration include: Deputy Governor-elect, Chief Monisade Afuye, Wife of Ekiti Governor-elect, Dr Olayemi Oyebanji, among others. (NAN)
