Recent reporting highlights a sharp increase in sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Gombe State over the past five years, raising concern among health professionals, community advocates, and government officials. According to a news release from Daily Post Nigeria, there has been a marked rise in reported SGBV cases, with hundreds of survivors recorded and treated across medical facilities in the state during that period.
Officials at Gombe State Specialist Hospital have noted that 645 survivors of sexual and gender-based violence have been treated between 2021 and 2026, indicating an upward trend in reporting and care-seeking behaviour.
In response to this increase, the state government, in partnership with UNICEF and other development partners, has opened a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC). The centre is designed to offer a “one-stop” facility providing medical care, psychological counselling, legal aid, and protection services for survivors—especially minors who experience sexual abuse.
Advocates say there is also a need to improve data collection and reporting systems, strengthen legal follow-through, and address cultural barriers such as stigma and silence that discourage survivors from speaking up.
Source: Daily Post Nigeria