Group Lauds Bauchi Assembly’s Push For More Sexual Assault Referral Centres

The Azurfa Women and Youth Development Initiative (AWOYDI) has commended the Bauchi State House of Assembly for adopting a motion to establish additional Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) across the state.

The organisation said the development followed its engagement with the leadership and members of the House, with support from Plan International, to improve access to comprehensive and survivor-centered services for victims of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).

The executive director of AWOYDI, Mrs Monica Tanko, said the adoption of the motion represented a major legislative milestone in efforts to expand access to SARC services across Bauchi State.

She said the initiative would restore hope to survivors of sexual assault, particularly those living in remote and hard-to-reach communities, by making it easier for them to access medical care, report cases and obtain necessary evidence.

Tanko said, “Following AWOYDI’s engagement with the Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abubakar Suleiman, the deputy speaker, Rt. Hon. Jamilu Ummaru Dahiru, and other lawmakers, the House was encouraged to consider a motion calling for the establishment of additional fully functional SARCs across the state.”

Presenting the motion, Suleiman called on the executive arm of the Bauchi State Government to establish additional SARCs to ensure timely, accessible, confidential and comprehensive care for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.

He noted that Bauchi State has 20 local government areas and a large, geographically dispersed population, yet the entire state is currently served by only one SARC, located at the Specialist Hospital, Bauchi.

According to him, the situation poses serious challenges to survivors, particularly those living in remote and hard-to-reach communities.

He identified transportation costs, delays in accessing care, fear of stigma and concerns over confidentiality as some of the factors discouraging survivors from seeking urgent assistance.

Suleiman therefore called on the state government, through relevant ministries, departments, and agencies, particularly the Ministries of Health, Women Affairs, Justice, and Humanitarian Affairs, to establish, as a first phase, at least two fully functional SARCs in each of the state’s three senatorial districts.

This would bring the number of additional centres proposed to at least six across the state.

The Speaker also called for adequate budgetary provisions for the centres, sustained public sensitisation and effective coordination among relevant government agencies.

He further urged the House Committees on Health, Women’s Affairs and Justice to engage relevant stakeholders on the implementation of the motion and report back to the House within 60 days.

The Speaker commended the mover of the motion for his concern for survivors of sexual assault and assured that the House would work towards its successful implementation.

Contributing to the debate, Hon. Lawal Dauda said inadequate punishment for perpetrators of sexual assault had contributed to the persistence of such cases.

He expressed concern over the failure to ensure that perpetrators received appropriate prison sentences, adding that the existing single SARC was inadequate to cater for sexual assault cases across the state.

He therefore urged the House to adopt all the prayers contained in the motion. Also speaking, Hon. Barr. Habibu Umar commended the mover of the motion for consistently bringing issues affecting residents’ lives and well-being before the House.

He described the motion as another demonstration of the lawmaker’s commitment to the HeForShe campaign and called on members to unanimously support it.

In his contribution, Hon. Nasiru Ahmed Ala commended the Speaker and other lawmakers for their support for the initiative and urged the House to provide the necessary backing and inputs required to ensure its successful implementation.

The Bauchi State House of Assembly subsequently adopted the motion and resolved to communicate its resolutions to the executive arm of government for necessary action.