Media Concern Initiative

MEDIA CONCERN INITIATIVE – for Women and Children (MediaCon) is a Non – Governmental Organization working in the field of sexual violence prevention and response. Having worked in this field since 2000, we believe that providing the required response to issues of sexual violence of women and children is a collective responsibility of shared partnership with all stakeholders at family, groups, orga

Our Activities include:

Crisis Response at MediaCon - The Crisis Response Programme is the landmark of our work. The first Rape Crisis Centre in Lagos and Nigeria was set up by MediaCon. This arm of our work is what provides emergency and crisis attention. With 24 hrs & 7 hours a week HELPLINES, with this is the VICTIM ADVOCATES. Our team comprises of professionals’ with specialized training to work with victims and families ALL THE WAY. This started off in 2005. Ensuring victims and their families get access to their fundamental human rights that this time of trauma.

• The victim advocate programme involves the victim advocate who links victims and families to access medical, legal and other psychosocial needs. The programme also provide support, care counseling for victims, families and friends. The programme ensures that the victim gets optimum care right from the moment of reporting and monitoring the case during litigation working in partnership with professionals in criminal justice system and other important stakeholders.
• 24hrs Confidential Helplines - Calls are made to our helplines which are available 24hrs to report child sexual abuse (rape) or suspicion of such by anybody who is concerned and anonymously. Confidential counseling is also provided on these lines and face-to-face. The lines work at national level. Referrals are also made available to calls of enquiries and SMS are attended to and receive response.
• Psychosocial support and HIV screening – We offer HIV screening and provision of PEP and Emergency Contraceptive for Victims within 72 hours of attack. Working in partnership with Nigerian Institute of Medical Research etc.

Media Forum - In 2005, we began to convene monthly media forum, as part of our objectives to provide information, promote dialogue and informed discourse on issues of child sexual abuse, other forms of sexual violence and its multi dimensional issues. Our media Forum is providing easy access to the media by activists and NGOs as well as provide a forum for journalists to update themselves on current issues on the Silent epidemic.

Capacity-building Workshops and Seminars - We keep responding to the need to fill the skills gap of different stakeholders in sexual violence response such as: children, parents, care-givers, law enforcement officers, social welfare, judiciary, policy makers and the media. To date we have under different projects organized capacity building workshops.

Media monitoring Programme - Since 2004, we have been monitoring print media reports on sexual violence.

Resource Centre on Sexual Violence - We opened a first ever first-ever resource centre dedicated to providing information on sexual violence prevention, response and related issues for researchers, media, and general public.

Children’s Projects - Programmes under this heading are targeted at children with children’s involvement in design, implementation and management.
ETC