WARIF trains 40 law enforcement agents on gender-based violence

Women at Risk Foundation (WARIF) has trained 40 law enforcement agents across Lagos districts on gender-based violence management and the role of law enforcement in the sexual assault landscape.

The training session, which was held at the WARIF Centre, attracted participants from the Lagos State Police Force in Alakara, Ketu, Ajah, Adeniji, Ilupeju and Alakuko districts. The aim was to educate them on rape, domestic and physical violence and sexual assault, as well as the techniques to identify, manage and refer potential cases to WARIF Centre.

Founder of WARIF Centre, Dr. Kemi DaSilva-Ibru, said: “Based on our current statistics confirmed by the organisation, approximately 10,000 girls are sexually assaulted or raped every day in Nigeria. In addition to hospitals and primary healthcare centres, police stations are usually the first point of contact for many of the victims of rape and sexual violence in our communities.

“This is why we have taken this critical step to ensure that the law enforcement  agencies are sensitized to these cases and trained on the appropriate responses, documentation and referral of these cases to centres such as the WARIF Centre. We also want to encourage survivors of rape and sexual violence to speak up and reach out to law enforcement agents when these situations occur with the assurance that these cases will be handled in an appropriate manner,” she said.