Michael Olugbode
The Mirabel Centre, Nigeria’s first Sexual Assault Referral Centre, (SARC) has celebrated its ninth year anniversary.
A celebration of the accountability dialogue reception hosted by British High Commissioner, Catriona Laing at her residence in Abuja on Wednesday, brought together donor partners and critical stakeholders from across the country.
A statement yesterday by the British High Commission, disclosed that the reception was a platform to celebrate the Centre’s milestone, strengthen trust and accountability, discourse challenges, as well as receive feedback and evaluation that will enable the Centre continue to further fulfil its mandate from partners.
Mirabel Centre, founded on July 1, 2013, by Itoro Eze-Anaba, provides succour and a safe place to survivors of rape and sexual assault in Nigeria.
According to the statement, survivors who had been sexually assaulted could access free post-incident support services at the Centre, noting that in the last nine years, the Centre has provided free medical and psychosocial support services to nearly 7400 survivors (including boys, men, and persons living with disabilities).
Speaking at the occasion, the British High Commissioner in Nigeria, said: “I am delighted to recognise and celebrate the work done by the Founder of Mirabel Centre, Itoro Eze- Anaba and the entire Mirabel Centre team as the organisation celebrates its ninth anniversary. It remains a sad reality that women continue to be victims of sexual violence and abuse in Nigeria today.
“We cannot understate the vital importance of the exemplary support sexual assault centres like Mirabel provide. I look forward to continuing to partner with Mirabel Centre for many more years to come as we all seek to end sexual violence.”
In her keynote address, Founder of the Mirabel Centre, Itoro Eze-Anaba, said: “Sexual and Gender Based Violence is the most pervasive human rights violation on earth. The impact of SGBV is felt not only by the survivors but also by her family, her community and the state as a whole. SGBV affects the realisation of all development goals including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To achieve the SDGs, we must eradicate SGBV and provide support to survivors of SGBV.”
