The Duchess of Cornwall becomes Patron of Mirabel Centre in Nigeria

It was announced today that The Duchess of Cornwall has become the Mirabel Centre’s first patron.

I am delighted to become Patron of the Mirabel Centre in Lagos. It is a truly trailblazing organisation, supporting survivors of rape and sexual assault as they seek healing and justice. Their vital work means that women need no longer suffer in silence and I am deeply grateful to all Mirabel’s wonderful staff and volunteers.

- The Duchess of Cornwall

Founded in July 2013 by Itoro Eze-Anaba, the Mirabel Centre is Nigeria’s first Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), providing succor and a safe place to survivors of rape and sexual assault.

Survivors who have recently or in the past been sexually assaulted can access free post-incident support services at the Centre. In the last eight years, the Mirabel Centre has provided free medical and psychosocial support services to over 6,450 survivors.

For several years, The Duchess of Cornwall has highlighted the work of domestic abuse and sexual assault charities in the UK and overseas in supporting victims and survivors, with the aim of breaking the taboo around the subject. Her Royal Highness has visited shelters and support centres around the world and in 2020 became Patron of the UK domestic abuse charity, SafeLives. Her Royal Highness has attended discussions on domestic abuse in Australia in 2015, in New Zealand in 2019, and as part of the Women’s Forum at CHOGM in London in 2018.

The Duchess visited Nigeria together with The Prince of Wales in 2018 when her engagements included joining a discussion hosted by the Women of the World Festival (WOW) saying, “Women get together to discuss things that matter to them so I think especially here in Nigeria it is a fantastic place to start.”

To find out more about the centre and how to access their services, visit https://mirabelcentre.org.