Queen Elizabeth honours Eze-Anaba with Commonwealth Point of Light Award
Queen of England, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, on Tuesday, recognised a Nigerian volunteer, Itoro Eze-Anaba, with the 4th Commonwealth Point of Light award.
The recognition by the Queen of England was in honour of the support of Eze-Anaba for victims of rape and sexual assault.
“Itoro Eze-Anaba founded Nigeria’s first sexual assault referral centre in 2013 and since then, has helped over 3,100 victims of rape. ‘The Mirabel Centre’ has established itself as a key service provider for victims of sexual assault in Lagos State, with an increasing number of clients accessing the centre, indicating a growing awareness amongst members of the public of the existence of the centre and the crucial services it provides.
“Each Commonwealth Point of Light will receive a personalised certificate signed by Her Majesty, The Queen, as Head of the Commonwealth.
“The award for Itoro Eze-Anabe will be presented on February 6, 2018, at the British High Commissioner’s Residence by the British High Commissioner to Nigeria Paul Arkwright,” the British High Commission said.
On her part, Eze-Anaba said: “I am delighted that a Point of Light has been awarded to highlight the importance of tackling rape and sexual assault. Rape is evil, degrading and dehumanising.
“On behalf of the dedicated, tireless and resolute team that is determined to give voice to the voiceless, strength to the weak and hope to the hopeless, I am sure that this award marks the beginning of a joint effort to uproot this evil that relentlessly battles for our future. This award is a reiteration of our message of NO TO RAPE!”
Also, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Arkwright, said: “Itoro has shown impressive dedication to supporting victims of sexual assault and rape.
“She has provided a safe haven for over 2800 survivors of this heinous crime and has encouraged thousands of others to break the silence on rape and seek prosecution of perpetrators, reducing their impunity.
“The Mirabel Centre is a project of Partnership for Justice where rape and sexual assault victims can access free forensic medical and counselling services,” Arkwright said.
The Point of Light awards recognise outstanding volunteers every day of the week; people whose service is making a difference in their communities and whose story can inspire others to creative innovative solutions to social challenges in their own communities and beyond.
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“He [told] me I was a smart and beautiful girl and gave me little sums of money,” says Imade, now 24. One day, he raped her.
Imade told her mother, who complained to the school. “They fired him, but that was all,” she says.
The teacher wasn’t prosecuted despite being referred to the police. But in Nigeria, this is by no means rare.
The country has an extremely low conviction rate for rape and sexual abuse, despite an increase in violence against women in recent years.
Evans Ufeli, a human rights lawyer who has been handling sexual assault cases for over a decade, says “cases are not effective enough … because some [instances of] rape are not recognised in the eyes of law. Sometimes, after medical examination [when] we find no signs of force or bruising, the law does not recognise that as rape.”
But the shortcomings in Nigeria’s legal system – where the burden to prove rape or abuse often lies in evidence of it also being a violent attack – are not the only challenges facing survivors. Nigeria, home to an estimated 170 million people, has just a handful of facilities dedicated to the care and support of survivors.
The first in the country, the Mirabel Centre in Lagos, was set up in 2013. Since then, a former Miss Nigeria winner established the Eight Foundation Centre, which also offers crisis support for women.
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