Inform. Connect. Empower
Africa's Change Makers Magazine
WARIF is set to provide rape victims in Nigeria
with more than just a relief
centre
In Nigeria, the rhetoric surrounding rape is almost comical and devastating. Apart from the trauma of being raped, victims of rape are also forced to believe the lie that they are to blame. If they muster the courage to speak up (which doesn’t happen often), they are asked questions like “What were you wearing?” or “What were you looking for there?” This further fosters the already poisonous narrative of shame taught to rape victims.
Between 2012-2013, the Lagos Police Force recorded 678 cases of rape, but in Lagos, there is only one rape relief centre. This shows the laxity of Nigerians regarding the reality of rape. This year, a number of lawyers saw the deficit of rape centres and begun advocating for more rape crisis centres in the country. Abuja-based lawyers, Chinelo Oputa and Oluwaseye Odediran spoke about the rape culture in Nigeria and stated that more rape centres in the country will help to tackle the stigma and silence surrounding the act and give victims a place of comfort.
However, a rape centre needs to serve a greater purpose than simply being a building where victims who are raped tell their stories and not much is done about it. The emotional trauma caused by sexual assault can be severe and long-lasting. Victims often feel disconnected from people, angry or depressed and so on. Some of these victims, if not all, need adequate counselling and societal reintegration to continue their normal lives without being hindered by this unfortunate incidence. These victims need to be reintegrated into the society, they need the help of doctors and physiologists. They also need safe houses to guide them from their assaulters and to give them shelter in their vulnerable states. And all of this does not rule out the dire need for trained rape responders in order to create a safe place for rape victims and curate evidence to apprehend rape offenders in order to prosecute them
Dr. Kemi DaSilva-Ibru, Founder, WARIF
Therefore in light of the above-mentioned challenges, Women at Risk International Foundation, also known as WARIF, a non-profit organisation incorporated by Dr Kemi DaSilva–Ibru, is set to change the narrative around rape in Nigeria by providing the right response to the inexistence of effective rape relief centres.
This foundation was established to raise awareness and advocate against sexual violence which is increasing at a worrying and rapid rate in Nigeria.
“It is our primary social responsibility to ensure that all young girls and women live in a society free of rape and sexual violence. The opening of WARIF Centre by Women at Risk International Foundation is the first of many initiatives, that will be set up by the foundation and the first step on its journey towards achieving this goal.” – Dr. Kemi DaSilva-Ibru, Founder, WARIF
WARIF has understood the need to provide a foundation where awareness against rape is not just preached but also a centre for sexual assault referral is created. The centre which has strong collaborative links with both the Lagos State Government and other local & international non-government organisations and related agencies provides shelters/halfway homes, and legal aid and vocational skills centres which will create an efficient system of referral that is made available and can be utilised by those in need of these services.
“I am pleased to be collaborating on this global initiative. It is important that the International Community come together to not only address gender-based violence but also create resources and tools to enable self-determination and freedom for all. The opening of Women at Risk International Foundation does just that, it is a game changer for being able to educate and access resources for sexual assault survivors in a timely manner.” – Indira Henard, Washington DC Rape Crisis Centre
Women and girls who have gone through harrowing problems of gender-based violence will find a safe haven in the WARIF centre which will provide them with medical care, social support, and also promote their well-being by empowering them.
Who Is Anita Kemi Dasilva Ibru?
First Posted on November 9,
2012
For those with an interest in helping Nigeria’s orphans and vulnerable female population, Anita Kemi Dasilva Ibru is a name that comes up quite often. As a member of the Erelu Adebayo Foundation, or ERAF, as well as one of the two primary physicians within Ideal Eagle Hospital, Dr. Ibru has become somewhat of a household name in many circles within the country. For those who are unfamiliar with the doctor and her work, however, it can be worthwhile to take a look at just who she is and what she has done to earn such a remarkable name for herself.
There are many qualities and works that have helped Dr. Ibru earn her place among NIPRO’s Global Top 40 Under 40 Nigerian Female Professionals. Educated at John’s Hopkins Univeristy, Dr. Anita Kemi Dasilva Ibru serves as a gynecologist through Lagos’ Ideal Eagle Hospital. Beyond this, however, her work with ERAF has enabled her to provide orphans with homes, to provide starving children with food, and to provide women and older girls who have been widowed or orphaned by the AIDS crisis with the job skills needed to provide for their families in a safe and sustainable fashion.
Yet all of these things still fail to capture what makes Dr Anita Kemi Dasilva Ibru such an important part of Nigeria. The doctor has served in a number of different capacities to help minimize the impacts of HIV and AIDS on the family members left behind and to work hard for the Nigerian citizens who are all too often invisible in the face of such a crisis. It is the work of those like Dr Ibru that truly makes a difference for women and children within the country, and the services that she and her fellow ERAF members have provided are leaving a positive impact that will be felt for many generations to come.
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