HACEY Health Warns Community against Stigmatising Victims of Sexual-based Violence

John Shiklam in Kaduna

The Kaduna State Coordinator of HACEY Health Initiative, Jennifer Agbaji, has asked communities in Kajuru Local Government Area of the state to stop stigmatising women who are victims of bandits and other sexual-based violence.

Speaking in an interview at the end of a two-day sensitisation programme on sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) which held in Mararaban Kajuru, to mark the International Day for the elimination of sexual violence in conflict, Agbaji said stigmatising victims of such inhuman treatment adds to their pains and discourage them from opening up for medical treatment and justice.

According to her, bandits were abducting women and girls in Kajuru communities who were being raped before they are released.
She lamented that rather than help them out of such trauma, the community stigmatises them, calling them derogatory names like, “matan Fulani” (wives of Fulani), thereby worsening their social and psychological wellbeing in the community.

She said although there was no known statistics on sexual violence in the area, “but what I know is that Kajuru is a conflict zone and has pockets of conflict-related gender- based violence.”

Agbaji added: “Women and girls are captured and raped and released. I spoke with rape survivors during our sensitisation, there were 10 of them, including a 13-year old girl, who narrated how they were captured, allegedly by Fulani bandits and raped

“We had a sensitisation meeting with the community members after a session with rape survivors who disclosed that some people in the community called them ‘Matan Fulani’ after they were raped and released from captivity. We asked the community to stop name calling of survivors of violence.”
According to her, many women kept rape cases as secret in order to, “preserve the future” of the survivor, adding that the implications of keeping rape cases as secret, was the danger of deadly infections and unwanted pregnancy.

Agbaji said, the best way to prevent and handle cases of sexual violence was to report to the appropriate authorities.
She called on the communities to avoid name calling, shaming or blaming survivors of sexual violence, adding that victims should be encouraged to see a doctor immediately so as to prevent sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy.

Agbaji disclosed that during the programme, HACEY Health Initiative donated birthing kits and treated mosquito nets to two healthcare centres in the area.