Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), Titilola VivourAdeniyi, has said that the state is one of the top four states addressing sexual and gender-based violence in Nigeria, having provided services to over 6,333 survivors last year.

The number of survivors the agency reached last year alone is impressive. What is sure is that the beneficiaries of the various assistants will certainly be relieved which they sometimes get as a succor.

Wounded

In numerous cases of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), most female victims are left wounded with some even losing their lives.

A recent case occurred in Uganda involving the now late Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei who was reported, this week to have died at a Kenyan hospital where she was treated after 80 per cent of her body was burned in an attack by her partner, a hospital official confirmed last Thursday.

She was 33 years old. Cheptegei’s partner, Dickson Ndiema, who has also succumbed to his injuries, was reported to have bought a can of gasoline, poured it on her and set her ablaze during a disagreement penultimate Sunday.

Although this may have occurred in another African country, Nigerian women are also victims of SGBV. One occurred in Benin recently.

Operatives of the Edo State Police Command arrested 18-year-old Kingdom Paul for the alleged murder of a 38-year-old woman, Victory Oro, in Benin. The incident occurred last Thursday in a local lodge where Paul and Oro had gone to have sex following a negotiated arrangement.

According to the police: “An altercation broke out after they ended the sexual act and Paul allegedly stabbed Oro. “After the unfortunate incident which occurred on September 5, the victim was immediately rushed to Supreme Hospital, Upper Ekenwan where she gave up the ghost.

Her corpse has been deposited at the hospital mortuary for autopsy. Investigation is ongoing.”

Rehabilitation

In some cases, most of the victims may not die but may be left frustrated, injured, homeless and may need one form of rehabilitation or the other to enable them recover and healed so as to move on with their lives. These are the situations in which the Lagos State DSVA becomes very helpful.

The agency was established following the assent of a bill by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on September 20, 2021, with the mission to eradicate SGBV in the state. Going by it’s mandate, it is committed to ensuring total eradication of SGBV in the state.

It is also a collection of professional service providers and officials that respond as a group and in a timely fashion to the various needs of domestic and sexual violence survivors by providing legal, medical, emergency assistance, counseling and psychological and psycho-social support.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the DSVA includes to coordinate immediate response to sexual and gender-based violence, reporting incidences of sexual and domestic assaults, making initial contact with survivors of sexual and gender-based violence offences, providing medical evaluation and care, collection and documentation of forensic and crime scene evidence, conducting preliminary investigation, the rescue and provision of support to survivors in accordance to regulations made under the law, among others.

Furthermore, the agency is mandated to provide sensitive services of domestic and sexual violence while promoting healthy relationships as we strive to enhance our community response to domestic and sexual violence in Lagos State.

In addition, the organisation is committed to educating the public on the prevention of domestic and sexual assault.

Awareness

It is against the background that the Lagos State Government designated the entire month of September to raise awareness about SGBV and to encourage survivors to break the culture of silence by speaking up whenever they are caught up in genger-bases violence situations.

According to Vivour-Adeniyi, at the end of the month the agency will celebrate distinguished stakeholders that have done exemplary work on SGBV over the course of the year.

To kick-start the September SGBV awareness month therefore, the agency organised an awareness walk which brought representatives of civil society organisations who joined officials of DSVA in implementing the activity.

During the activity, which was held on Wednesday, September 4, participants walked from Ile-Zik in Ikeja through Agege-Motor Road until they linked up at the Railway Station by Ikeja Local Government Council area from where they connected Awolowo Road, leading them to Ipodo Market at Ikeja Under Bridge.

It was indeed a very lively session at the market where officials of Lagos State DSVA took turns to enlighten market men and women as well as passers-by about the dangers inherent in SGBV. The messages were disseminated in major Nigerian languages: Hausa, Igbo, Yotuba, anmong others.

The audience were lectured on the importance of peaceful co-existence. The implications of gender-based violence under the Nigerian law was also highlighted. Tracts displaying toll-free lines: 08000333333, which victims of SGBV should call for assistance were given out freely.

Such victims were encouraged to reach out to the DSVAfor prompt intervention and the resolution of the issues at stake.

According to Vivour-Adeniyi, the significance of the Advocacy Walk in Celebration of the Domestic and Sexual Violence Advocacy is to heighten awareness about sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and to continue to engage with the members of the community, letting them know about support services that the Lagos State government has put in place to address these issues.

Vivour-Adeniyi said: “The Lagos State Government has designated the entire month of September for this cause to raise awareness, to encourage survivors to break the culture of silence, to advocate and then at the end of the month to celebrate distinguished stakeholders that have done exemplary work over the course of the year.”

The severity of the legal repercussions for offenders was also brought to light. “For rape, it is life imprisonment; for defilement, it is life imprisonment; and for sexual assault, it is three years imprisonment , ” she explained.

With regard to sexual harassment , Vivour-Adeniyi said the penalty is three years imprisonment while causing a person to engage in unlawful sexual activity attracts five years imprisonment.

“And of course, penalty for domestic violence assault, can range between seven to 14 years,” she added. The Executive Secretary of the Lagos State DSVA further emphasised the need for collective action:

“We are going to the communities, we are engaging with the traditional rulers, the community leaders and everybody that is a gatekeeper that has one role or the other to play.” She added:

“Everybody that is a person of influence, we are engaging them.” The Chairperson of the Nigeria Association of Social Workers, Lagos State chapter, Mrs Lamilisa Morayo Olubunmi, highlighted the proactive measures being taken by social workers to combat genderbased abuse.

“We have been doing a lot, particularity if it is reported. And for those that have not been reporting, when we get wind of it, we will engage, we will connect them to domestic and sexual violence agency and other nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) that could give shelter for the women that are abused,” she explained.

Last line

According to her, they carry out a lot of advocacy and sensitisation in this respect because they have different sectors that deals in different areas, but lamented that people are afraid to come out to report their spouses.

Olubunmi added: “In collaboration with other different agencies like Child Protection Network, NGOs, the Ministry of Justice, Social Work Educators among otherscome together to ensure that people are well informed about what we do.”