Lagos State Government’s Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) has reported that it received a total of 5,624 cases of Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) within a year.

Ms. Titilayo Shitta-Bey, the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, revealed this during a press briefing in Ikeja to mark the Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month in September.

From August 1, 2022, to July 2023, the agency recorded these cases through the Virtual Referral and Response Service (VRRS) and physical reports.

On average, the agency now serves around 250 clients each month.

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Shitta-Bey disclosed that for cases involving adults, 91% of survivors were female and 9% were male. Among children, 45% of survivors were boys and 55% were girls.

Of the 5,624 reported cases, 2,331 were related to domestic violence, 90 involved rape, 72 were sexual assaults, and 123 concerned threats to life.

The data also encompassed 609 cases of issues like separation, child neglect, child abduction, and child labor.

There were 384 instances of non-Gender Based Violence (GBV), including disputes over tenancy and simple assault.

Child abuse/physical assault totaled 143 cases, defilement cases reached 235, and there were three instances of defilement/molestation by minors. Additionally, 33 cases involved sexual harassment/molestation.

Emotional abuse was prevalent among 1,598 children who were exposed to domestic violence at home. To help these children cope, counseling programs were initiated.

The report revealed a rise in cases reported from other states, mostly from the South West and South East regions. In the past 11 months, 248 cases were reported outside Lagos and were duly referred to relevant agencies in those states.

Legal representation was provided to 79 survivors of domestic violence, separation, divorce, custody of children, and settlements by the Office of the Public Defender and the Lagos Public Interest Law Partnership (LPILP).

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Survivors of sexual assault received medical attention from various healthcare centers and sexual assault referral centers.

The agency extended services to seven Persons with Disabilities who experienced various forms of GBV.

The youngest victim of sexual violence was an 18-month-old baby, while the oldest survivor of domestic violence was a 79-year-old woman.

The establishment of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency aims to safeguard the rights of survivors and reduce the prevalence of domestic and sexual violence within the state.