Bisi Fayemi, Ekiti’s first lady, on Thursday inaugurated more sexual assault Referral centres (SARC) for victims of sexual assault.

Inaugurating the centres in Ikole-Ekiti and Ikere-Ekiti, Mrs Fayemi emphasised the need for community dwellers to expose violators of sexual assault laws, no matter how highly placed.

She reiterated zero tolerance for gender-based violence (GBV), most especially sexual assault, with the assurance that anyone found culpable would not be spared.

Mrs Fayemi explained that the centres were established to offer free services for survivors in the area of medical assistance, legal, psychological, and law enforcement, among others.

Health commissioner Oyebanji Filani and education commissioner Adebimpe Aderiye thanked the governor’s wife for her support for victims.

The centres would serve the north and south senatorial districts where they were located, and that traumatised students are adequately provided for in the arrangement of the facilities, the commissioners explained.

Also, the coordinator of the Sexual Assault Referal centres, Rita ilevbare, charged the staff of the two centres to see their duties as a call to national service, which required due diligence, empathy, utmost confidentiality and, at times, personal financial cost.

She appealed to security agencies to support the functionalities of the centres to achieve success.

Apart from the Moremi referral centre at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), Ado-Ekiti, the newly inaugurated centres were located within the premises of the specialist hospitals in the towns. 

Dignitaries at the inauguration included Deputy Governor-elect Monisade Afuye, and his wife Olayemi Oyebanji, among others. 

(NAN)