By Zainab Faruk
The Bauchi State Action Committee on Gender-Based Violence, under the office of the State First Lady, Hajiya Aishatu Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, has pledged full medical support for a 10-year-old girl who sustained severe injuries after her sister-in-law allegedly burnt her private part.
Speaking during a visit to the survivor at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, the Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Hajiya Aishatu Baba Tela, said the First Lady directed the team to visit the survivor and assure her family of the state’s commitment to ensuring justice and proper medical care.
Hajiya Tela explained that the committee will shoulder the bills for surgery, follow-up appointments, drugs, and all other medical expenses until the child fully recovers. She stressed that the act was barbaric and must not go unpunished.
“The perpetrator has been apprehended by the police and will definitely face the law. Justice shall be served,” she stated.
On her part, the Secretary of the Committee, Hajiya Talatu Musa Gar, said the incident has deeply saddened the members, including the First Lady, who established the committee to combat gender-based violence in the state.
She added that the committee strongly condemns the act and called on stakeholders — religious and traditional leaders, politicians, civil society organizations, and the general public — to raise their voices against gender-based violence to ensure a safe society for women and children.
The Bauchi State Action Committee on Gender-Based Violence reiterated its commitment to standing by survivors and ensuring that perpetrators face the full weight of the law.