Our Aberdeen Women's Centre in Sierra Leone specializes in treating injured child and adolescent survivors of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) and also helps adult survivors with injuries.
In 2022 we treated 172 survivors of SGBV, our youngest was just 2 years old and our oldest 42. 46 were under 10, 114 were aged 11-17 and 12 were over 18. We held 249 counseling sessions and made 186 visits to the Police Family Support Unit (FSU).
When an SGBV survivor arrives at AWC, dedicated staff are assigned to their care and they are given a dignity kit to make them feel comfortable including clothes and toiletries, a teddy bear or toy and a hot meal. We focus on providing a safe, friendly and welcoming environment.
The AWC team works in partnership with the police, lawyers, advocacy groups and other partners to ensure the best care available for our survivors and strive to ensure justice for them.
In June 2022 'A Girl At A Time' organization held a workshop, hosted at our Aberdeen Women's Centre, to train front line professionals to provide a better response to women and girls experiencing SGBV and abuse. Our social worker Martha and our SGBV lead nurse Mariama attended and were delighted to work in partnership with 'A Girl At A Time' to raise awareness of SGBV and best practice.
Violence against women and girls is a human rights violation. Before the pandemic 243 million women and girls, aged 15-49 experienced sexual and/or physical violence by an intimate partner in the past year. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, emerging data and reports from those on the front lines, have shown that all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, has intensified. Source United Nations
