The Federal Government of Nigeria has inaugurated a new Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) in Abia State, as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s protection framework for women and girls.

The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja by Mr Ahmed Danbazau, Head of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.

Speaking at the inauguration, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, said the new centre would enhance coordinated responses to sexual and gender-based violence across the country.

She disclosed that as of November 2025, Nigeria had established 50 SARCs in 24 states, providing support to about 58,134 survivors, but acknowledged that the number remains inadequate given the scale of reported and unreported cases nationwide.

According to the minister, gender-based violence continues to be pervasive, underreported and increasingly complex, manifesting in both physical and digital forms.

“Today marks a significant step in strengthening the protection architecture for women and girls in Nigeria,” Suleiman-Ibrahim said.

She explained that the SARC offers a safe, confidential and integrated platform for medical treatment, psychosocial care, legal referral and access to justice for survivors of sexual violence.

The minister noted that the centre represents a survivor-centred response embedded within the national social development framework, stressing that fragmented interventions often deepen trauma and undermine justice outcomes.

“A functional SARC ensures survivors receive confidential and coordinated services under one framework,” she said.

Suleiman-Ibrahim also raised concern over the growing incidence of technology-facilitated gender-based violence, including cyberstalking, digital coercion, online trafficking, image-based abuse and coordinated online harassment.

She said these emerging threats require stronger institutional systems that combine legal, medical, psychosocial and digital protection mechanisms.

The minister commended complementary empowerment initiatives such as the Osusu Abaala Women Palm-Oil Collective, describing economic vulnerability as a key driver of gender-based violence.

“When women are economically secure, socially organised and institutionally supported, their exposure to exploitation and abuse significantly declines,” she said.

She reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to strengthening the national GBV response architecture through policy reforms, survivor support systems, data-driven coordination and strategic partnerships under the Renewed Hope Social Development Agenda.

Suleiman-Ibrahim also praised Bola Tinubu for declaring 2026 the Year for Social Development and Families, describing the move as a bold step toward positioning protection services as a pillar of national stability and social justice.

She appreciated the Abia State Government and residents for providing an enabling environment for the establishment of the centre, noting that sub-national leadership remains vital to building safe communities.

The minister further commended development partners, service providers and frontline responders for their continued commitment to survivor care, justice and rehabilitation.

She stressed that silence, stigma and impunity must no longer define survivors’ experiences, insisting that access to justice, care and protection should become the national standard.

Expressing confidence in the new facility, Suleiman-Ibrahim said the Abia SARC is expected to operate with professionalism, confidentiality and compassion, serving as a safe space for healing and a model for replication across other states.