Rape incidents on emergency stage in Rivers- Doctors without Borders
… 70-80% of victims mostly children below 15 years old
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Not less than 120 rape cases are treated every month at the Centres operated by Doctors Without Borders (Medecins San Frontiers) in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Capital, it has been revealed.
Community Health Educator, Orogbum Health Centre, of Doctors Without Borders in Port Harcourt, Veronica Uweh, who revealed this, added that the problem of rape in the oil city is already at an emergency stage.
She also revealed that on the average, 70 to 80 per cent of the victims are below 15 years old while 61 per cent of rape survivors so far treated at Doctors Without Borders Centres in 2019 were children.
The 2018 annual report of the international charity organisation indicates that 11 per cent of those treated at the two clinics of Doctors Without Borders at the two centres in Port Harcourt were aged 0-15 years and 16 per cent were aged 6- 10years, while 11 per cent were between the ages of 15-17 years.
The report further showed that 1,372 females were treated by the charity organization against 52 males in the same year.
The analysis of the report shows that the rapists were known to the victims in 63 per cent of cases, while 20 per cent of the culprits were neighbours of their victims.
Veronica regretted that the number of the victims who refused to speak up, report or come the health centre are even far higher.
“We offer free and confidential treatment to rape victims for the first three days when any incident happened. We give medical treatment to prevent HIV infection and also prevention for sexually transmitted infection, including Hepatitis B and prevention of unintended pregnancy. We also treat any physical wound of the victim.”
Uweh, also revealed the main challenge is that some victims are always reluctant to come out on time to get the HIV prevention treatment which they need to take within 3 days of being raped.
She added that many victims don’t come for follow up treatments.
Smith Nwokocha of World Education Network said, “The matter of child sexual abuse and rape has become health emergency because it happens every day our society. We want make people to be aware of the need to protect their children and know where they can go and report in case it happens, so that the affected children can go get treatment and justice”
Vivian Akunesiobike from the International Federation of Women Lawyers also lamented that many victims of rape don’t come up to report though there is a hotline established by the body for such report.
Director of Social Welfare for Rivers State, Mr Iminabo Fubara, said government is working with FIDA, Doctors Without Borders, the Police and other bodies to address the rising issue of rape in the State.
Fubara said the government is using the Child Rights Law to deal with child sexual abuse in the state, adding that five cases of defilement have been successfully prosecuted so far, while over 15 other cases are in court.
He added that the State government is working with many primary and secondary schools in Port Harcourt to ensure cases of rape and child abuse are reported.
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