An agency of the Adamawa State Government, established to give respite to rape victims, has received 117 cases of rape and prosecuted 12 as the government steps up efforts to constitute a special court to try rape suspects.
The state Commissioner of Justice, Barr. Bala Sanga, disclosed this in Yola during an interaction with a delegation from Centre for Women and Adolescents Empowerment, a non governmental organisation based in the state.
He said that as part of preparations for the special court, the Department of Citizens Right of the Ministry of Justice had trained lawyers to carry out certain functions.
Sanga said the agency of government mandated to attend to cases of rape and other sexual offences, the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) in Yola, which received the 117 cases within the last one year and prosecuted 12, would be duly complemented by the special court.
Alluding to a high possibility of lots of cases of rape unknown to the government, the commissioner said, “Most of the cases recorded are from Yola (in Yola South Local Government Area (LGA) and Jimeta (in Yola North LGA). What of the cases that are not reported in Ganye, Jada, Mubi, Numan and other LGAs?”
The Sexual Assault Referral Centre, otherwise called ‘Hope Centre’, was established to give hope to victims of rape by giving them listening ear and at least seeking justice for them.
Leader of a delegation of the Centre for Women and Adolescents Empowerment, Asmau Joda thanked the commissioner of justice for playing host to them and commended the government for the decision to set up the special court for sexual violence cases.
She disclosed that her centre is currently prosecuting two cases of rape, and expressed hopes that the proposed special court would radically address the challenges of prosecuting rape cases in the regular courts.
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