STATISTICS ON CASES HANDLED IN FIRST FIVE MONTHS OF OPERATION OF THE MIRABEL CENTRE
The Mirabel Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) provides assistance (medical and counselling) to victims of sexual assault across Lagos State. The centre opened in July 2013 and has now been operational for 5 months.
The centre is located at LASUTH and is operated by Partnership for Justice and funded through a grant from the DFID-funded Justice for All programme in cooperation with the Lagos State Ministry of Health.
*The centre has so far assisted 125 clients (average 25 per month)
*This includes 86 victims of rape including 11 cases of statutory rape
*29 assault victims have been helped along with 4 battery victims
*40 victims were aged ten or less, including 17 under the age of six
*44 victims are aged between 11 and 15
* 78 of the 84 victims under the age of 15 were assaulted by somebody known to them (relative / friend, etc)
*86 of the victims were brought to the SARC by the police, who now have somewhere they can take victims that will provide assistance to the victim and are able to carry out a forensic examination that is admissible in court without having to make any payments to the medical practitioners.
* 81 of the victims were referred afterwards to Social welfare or NGOs that can provide additional support
