Rape violates the spirit, survivors need support –Experts

Hmmm......Executive Director, District of Columbia Rape Centre, United States, Ms. Indira Henard, has said that the incident of rape among women and children has reached an epidemic proportion.

Henard raised this alarm at the inauguration of the Women at Risk International Foundation Centre in Lagos.

The criminal justice expert and social worker lamented the shortage of medical experts and rehabilitation centres where victims could be counselled after such unfortunate incidents.

She said, “Sexual violence is a violation of the human spirit and it take takes a multi-faceted approach and communal effort to bring those who have been wronged back to their old selves.

“Rape is not a woman issue but a human issue. It is an act that is grossly under reported and whose management is shrouded in secrecy; but we must break that code of silence and unveil this issue in our society if we must go forward.”

Also speaking at the event, the Founder, WARIF, Dr. Kemi DaSilva-Ibru, noted that women and young girls were at a greater risk of being raped in the society.

DaSilva-Ibru, a specialist Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, said she had seen an increase in sexual violence in minors and urged parents to seek medical attention for victims when such incidents occur.

She said, “I have managed a two-year-old and I have a pregnant 11-year-old who had been violated since she was nine. These experiences inspired me to open this centre where victims can have access to medical interventions.

“We want to provide a safe haven for all young girls and women who have been affected by this harrowing problem by providing medical care and social support, among other interventions.”