Over 4000 cases of sexual and other related violence against mostly children below 13 years were recorded in Kano State, in the last five years according to data compiled a government by Sexual Assault Referral Centre.
According to the centre, supported by a non-profit Justice for All (J4A), a DFID funded intervention programme blamed the mounting social and economic difficulties being experienced in the country as a key factor fueling the rising incidences of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).
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Sanusi Aliyu Yakasai, chairman of the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), told journalists reporting the Centre’s ‘16 day’s activism for Elimination of Gender-Based Violence currently being executed, as part of a Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) programme, said Kano which has consistently been experiencing a growing population of economic migrants, particularly, people seeking job fulfilment, has seen an increased tendency for sexually related violence against women and children.
“The establishment of SARC in Kano State has contributed to the effective management of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence cases and prosecution of perpetrators but more work is still required.
Yakasai cited the example of Dala Local Government Area which is the most populous LGA in the state which has seen an uptick in incidences of abuse of women and girls.
“Yet, for far too long impunity, silence, stigma have allowed violence against women to escalate to pandemic proportion”, he said.
Commenting on the 16 days activism campaign mounted in the state, the commissioner disclosed that it was part of an annual global usually carried out across the world on the 25th of November, under the International Day for the Elimination Violence Against Women and Girl-Child.
He further stated that the day is usually marked till the 10th of December of every year, as part of Human Rights Day which provided an opportunity to galvanize action towards ending violence against women and girls around the world. The international campaign originated from the first Women ‘s Global Leadership Institute coordinated by the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership in 1991.
“In recent years, the voices of survives and activists, through campaigns such as #MeToo, #TimesUp, #NotOneMore, #BalanceTonPorc, and others have reached a crescendo that cannot be silenced anymore. Advocates understand that while the names and contexts may differ across geographic locations, women and girls everywhere are experiencing extensive abuse and their stories need to be brought to light.
