WARIF COVID-19 response raises awareness to sexual violence in rural communities with Cuppy Foundation

By Mutiat Alli

The Covid-19 pandemic brought about an increase in the cases of rape and sexual abuse as survivors were forced to isolate at home, alone with their abusers.

As the numbers increased, a growing shadow pandemic became apparent, that needed urgent attention. The WARIF Covid-19 Response in Rural Communities Initiative was launched in April 2020 in response to this.

The Initiative aims to raise awareness about the prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence (GBV) in our communities, and the harmful physical, psychological and societal effects that this menace poses to women and girls of all ages.

In the commitment to supporting organizations promoting the health and wellness of girls and women, Cuppy Foundation partnered with the Women at Risk International Foundation’s (WARIF) Covid-19 Response Initiative in April 2020 to sensitize households and address the issue of GBV in several rural communities .

Trained WARIF volunteers participated in the sensitization and awareness program in 3 selected local government areas in Lagos state (Alimosho, Shomolu/Bariga and Lagos Mainland).

Women and girls were educated on the dangers of gender based violence, how to report cases of rape and sexual assault, and the free services offered to survivors at the WARIF Rape Crisis Centre. The Community Engagement sensitization program was a very impactful one with almost of 8,500 individuals reached.

Commenting at the close out of the community engagement, Philanthropy Manager Ruth Okonya reiterated Cuppy Foundation’s dedication to gender-based issues.

She said, “In serving the community, it comes down to two things; being accountable and transparent. Our journey with WARIF has been a reflection of these two major components, they have served the communities by bringing great awareness on GBV in a manner that has yielded a good measure of impact. We hope that in the future we have another opportunity to partner with WARIF”.

Commenting on the response program, Founder of WARIF, Dr. Kemi DaSilva Ibru stated that “We anticipated an increase in the cases of violence against women and children by abusers during this shadow pandemic and so we felt it was necessary to raise awareness to this issue as well provide the necessary assistance in tackling the problem, especially in the rural areas in Nigeria, where services are not readily available.

We are thankful to Cuppy Foundation for their support as we remain committed in the fight against the perpetration of violence and to ensure that women and girls can live in a society free from rape and sexual violence.”