May 06, (THEWILL) – Wife of the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mrs Martha Emmanuel, has inaugurated a Sexual and Gender Based Violence Referral Centre for victims in Uyo Senatorial District of the state.
Instituted by Heartland Alliance Ltd/GTE, in collaboration with the Akwa Ibom State Gender Based Violence Management Committee, the centre is designed to offer free medical services to victims of sexual and gender based assaults in the nine LGAs that make up the senatorial district.
Speaking during the inauguration of the facility located at 26 Abel Damina Drive, Osongama Estate in Uyo, Mrs Emmanuel, who is also the chairperson of the State Gender Based Violence Management Committee called for collaborations to stamp out Gender Based Violence.
According to her, the Center would complement the Agape Centre at Immanuel hospital in Eket local government area, which provides identical services to the people of Eket Senatorial District of the state, assuring that the Centre at the General hospital Ikot Ekpene would be opened before the end of May 2022.
Martha Emmanuel, while thanking the management and staff of Heartland Alliance for their selfless service to the people of the state, pointed out that with the right collaboration, cases of rape and other such vices would soon be history in the state.
Speaking against abusive relationships, she adviced victims to rather consider the option of stepping aside than expose self to unnecessary risks for any reason.
She called on all victims of sexual and gender based violence in the state to report to the law enforcement agents, saying her Committee is ever ready to swing into action and bring papetrators to book.
In their separate remarks, the Hon. Commissioner for Health, Professor Augustine Umoh, State Team Lead of Heartland Alliance, Dr Ngozi Nana, Special Assistant to the Governor on Multilateral and Donor Agencies, Mr Nana Udom and the NAPTIP zonal coordinator, Mrs Tina Ugwu, agreed that the centre is a one-stop shop for all cases of sexual and gender based assaults in the state.
They unanimously applauded the idea of having such a centre to treat and extend both financial and psychological support to such victim.
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