Adamawa Hope Centre, was established in Yola to treat people who suffered from rape , It has recorded 54 cases of rape in the past three months between July 1st and October 3rd, 2019.
The Adamawa State Project Coordinator of a non governmental organisation, Rule of Law and Anti-corruption (RoLAC), Bar Haphsatu Abdullahi, whose organisation partners with the Hope Centre in seeking justice for rape victims, made the disclosure Tuesday in Yola at a stakeholders conference against rape.
She said, “From the 1st of July 2019 to 3rd of October 2019, 54 cases were reported to the centre,”
She said rape is either on the rise in the state or people are becoming more enlightened about the Hope Centre and learning to come away from the culture of silence to take advantage of the services of the centre.
The anti-rape Stakeholders Conference in Yola was initiated by a youth corps member, Miss Fatima Saka and funded by the European Union.
According to the nation, The youth corps member explained that the conference was a follow up of previous programme units targeted at curtailing rape.
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“Before now we have been going to schools talking to students and teachers. Now is for stakeholders – traditional and community leaders, education managers, NGOs, and security agencies – to rob minds on how rape and other forms of gender violence can stop,” she explained.
One of the representatives of NGOs who attended the stakeholders function, Charity Onoja who is the Adamawa State Coordinator of International Republican Institute (IRI), blamed rampant rape cases on poor prosecution.
“Perpetrators are not being punished,” she asserted, adding, “we need the culture of adequately punishing perpetrators to make likely perpetrators fear that they could not do it and get away with it.”