A Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), a collaborative effort between Gombe State Government and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has been opened at the State Specialist Hospital, Gombe.
The Center was established in the effort to fight against Gender Based Violence (GBV), particularly sexual assault of minors in Gombe State.
Reports revealed that there are many cases of GBV, most of which are not reported or are being under-reported, particularly sexual offenses against minors within the state.
The rising cases of GBV are worsened by an unhealthy culture of silence exhibited by survivors or their relatives because of stigma whenever there is an occurrence, leaving the survivors traumatised and thus, negatively affecting society in many ways.
Considering the negative impact, an initiative spanning some years culminated in the opening of the Centre that is expected to provide care, protection, and justice for survivors of sexual violence in the State.
Stationed in the One Stop Shop (OSS) are health, security, psychosocial support, legal and Women Affairs Ministry personnel who provide safe corridors for the assaulted survivors, especially in the area of opening up to explain what actually happened.
While performing the official opening of the Centre, Gombe State Deputy Governor, Manasseh Daniel Jatau, explained that the administration’s concern over the growing number of sexual assault cases influenced the establishment of the Centre.
Represented by the State Commissioner for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Habu Dahiru, the Deputy Governor stressed that, it is the product of collaboration between the Gombe State Government, UNICEF, and other development partners to ensure survivors received timely and comprehensive support.
He said the Centre will serve as a one-stop shop that will provide medical treatment, psychological counselling, rehabilitation, and legal support to GBV victims who are mostly minors.
The Deputy Governor added that the centre is strategically positioned at a section of the hospital to guarantee privacy and protect survivors from stigma.
In her remarks, the Chief of UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, said that the Centre is a product of necessity to respond to cases of GBV but not an ultimate solution.
She pointed out that prevention remains the goal and called on families, communities, and institutions to work together to end sexual assault emphasising that “protecting children is a collective responsibility”.
Also speaking, a member of State House of Assembly and a member of the House Committee on Health, Musa Manaja Zambuk, said that the passage of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition and Child Protection (VAPP) Laws demonstrates the state’s legislature’s resolve to tackle sexual violence.
The lawmaker stressed the need for full implementation of the laws to ensure the punishment of perpetrators and safeguard minors from falling victim.
In his address, the Chief Medical Director of the Specialist Hospital, Gombe, Dr Sambo Dawa, revealed that between 2021 and 2025, the hospital recorded 645 cases of sexual assault on children aged ten to fourteen, especially from rural areas.
He expressed confidence that with the formal launching of the centre, it will improve access to care and reduce delays in response.
The SARC is equipped with a sickbay, counselling unit, pharmacy, laboratory, and security desk and other facilities designed to restore dignity and give survivors a chance to heal.
The Executive Director of Kishimi Shelter and Care Foundation, an agency used to facilitate the Centre, Mrs Grace Samuel, commended the State Government, with support from UNICEF, for establishing the centre as well as creating an enabling environment for partners such as her foundation, which served as a referral pathway between survivors, communities, and the centre.
She assured that the Foundation is in strong collaboration with lawyers, the Police, the NSCDC, medical workers, and psychosocial support providers, among other stakeholders, to give necessary support to the victims while in the centre.