The Lagos State Government has commenced a 16-Day line up of activities to rid the State of the menace of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.
The Executive Secretary of the state’s Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi says the State Government is kicking off the 16 Days of Activism with 16 pivotal ways to ameliorate and address the grappling issues of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence that individuals and communities are faced with, a resultant impact which in most cases is devastating to the Victims.
According to her, “each of the 16 Days of Activism will be saddled with a New hope to be given by the Governor, Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu.”
This was contained in a press statement issued by the agency’s spokesperson, Adejoke Ladenegan-Oginni.
Mrs Vivour-Adeniyi is said to have stated, “At the DSVA, we believe that preventive measures are the most efficient ways of addressing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) issues. To this end, we embark on several advocacy programs, which aims at reducing SGBV to at least a barest minimum. The Agency will be leveraging on the global annual 16 days of activism for the elimination of violence against women, to heighten awareness on the issues of Gender-Based Violence in the state through several community engagement programmes.”
Some of the activities earmarked for the 16-day programme include, Advocacy Walk in Epe, Engagement of 3000 children on preventing Child Abuse, Door to door community engagements, Market fiestas And engagement of the youth.
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that kicks off on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs through December the 10th, which is Human Rights Day.
The DSVA was set up in 2014 by the Lagos state government to provide coordinated and holistic response, as well as to increase awareness on the prevalence of Gender-Based violence in the state.
It was made a full agency in 2021, and says the different interventions of the State, under the leadership of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu include; the provision of shelter for survivors of domestic violence, launch of the Domestic and sexual Violence Trust fund and the provision of free access to legal, psychosocial, rescue and Counselling services, as well as the launch of the Sexual Intervention Trust Fund which now provides access to free medical treatment to survivors of Domestic and sexual violence at designated Government facilities.
The DSVA also reiterates the State Government’s zero tolerance for all forms of Sexual and Gender Based Violence and urges affected persons to break the silence and report any concern to the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency via the toll free line- 08000 333 333
