By Efe Onodjae

ARDA Development Communication Incorporated, yesterday, partnered with Cece Yara Foundation, Nigeria’s first Sexual Assault Referral Centre; the Mirabel Centre and The Initiative for Equal Rights to provide physical and psychological support for victims of gender-based violence.

The partnership, which resulted in the launch of a toll-free number, through which survivors across states can access affirming, holistic medical care, psychosocial support, access referral services and legal aid would also contribute to the body of resources available to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in Lagos.

Addressing pressmen in Lagos, Executive Director of ARDA Development Communication Incorporated, Mrs. Alison Phido, said the idea behind the toll-free number was to ensure that victims were given a platform to share their feelings.

She said: “Today, we launched a toll free number for survivors of gender-based violence in Lagos and Borno states. We have a project where we try to offer survivors of rape and gender-based violence an opportunity to call for services.

“From research, we found that a lot of people who have been abused are suffering while those victimised are unable to speak up or come out. There are many reasons for that and we know them, so in order to protect these people, we came up with this idea that we should have an interactive response system and give them the attention that they deserve.

“In July 2022, we brought together professionals who work in leading sexual assault referral centres across Lagos and Borno States, representatives from the media and gender advocates across digital and traditional media to work with us in designing this Interactive Voice Response system, to ensure we are using uplifting, affirming and empowering language that assures survivors that they are not alone.

“Since then, we have had other engagements with relevant stakeholders across Lagos and Borno states, leaning on their professional expertise and the unique outlook they have as persons who work directly with these affected demographics.

“The number of incidents around sexual and gender-based violence cases nationwide is alarming, but we narrowed the Open Arms Project to focus on the bustling city of Lagos and the recovering city of Maiduguri.

“The toll-free number, 0-8000-20-20-20 is designed in such a way that survivors can access the right services that they deserve including medical care, psychosocial support and legal aid from our partner organisations.

“They can also get referrals to other service providers and access information without fear of judgment or stigma if at that moment, they do not feel ready to speak directly with a counselor. It can be a lifeline for survivors who may feel isolated, scared or unable to seek help in person.”

On her part, the CEO, Cece Yara Foundation, Detutu Ajibodu, said: “We want to work harder on the Cece Yara foundation, so everyone in Nigeria can gain access to us. We wish to use the power of partnership, especially in areas we cannot reach. In those areas, we call our partners to help us.

“This is the first time we are partnering with this type of initiative and we have created awareness where we will help so many people with what they want.

“There is nothing we can do without the government and they have helped us with partnership. For every child that we go out there to rescue, we have a partnership with the police so the police are always involved and they get the reports quickly.”