Segun James
The Lagos State Government has said that the state recorded 4,860 reported cases of domestic violence, rape, sexual assaults and others in the last 10 months.
The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo who disclosed this at a news conference commemorating Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month said the figures are for between the period of September 1, 2021, and July 31, 2022.
According to him, there were 2,029 domestic violence cases, 65 rape cases, 40 sexual assault cases, 10 attempts to commit rape, five sexual assaults by penetration, 73 threats to life and 488 other sundry cases such as separation, and neglect, among others.
Onigbanjo also disclosed that the figure included 113 child abuse/physical assault, 194 defilement cases, 15 defilement/molestation by minor to a minor, 105 child labour, abduction neglect and 145 sexual harassment/molestation cases.
The Attorney General added that 1,578 children experienced emotional abuse, even as he explained that 55 percent of these children had been taken through counselling programmes to ensure they were able to psychologically deal with the events they had witnessed without it having a permanent and negative impact on them.
“We have also witnessed an increase in reporting of cases from other States; mostly from Ogun, Abia, Anambra and others respectively. In the past 11 months, a total of 394 cases occurred outside Lagos. Such cases are promptly referred to the relevant agencies in their respective States.
“The Office of the Public Defender, as well as the Lagos Public Interest Law Partnership (LPILP), has provided free legal representation to 110 survivors of Domestic Violence, ranging from Judicial Separation, Divorce, Maintenance, Custody of children and Settlement.
“All the survivors of sexual assault received medical attention from Comprehensive Primary Health Care Centres, General Hospitals and Sexual Assault Referral Centres like Mirabel Centre, Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF) as well as Idera Centre,” he said.
He further revealed that the youngest child that experienced sexual violence in the year under review was eight months, while the oldest clients that experienced domestic violence were 75-year-old woman and 89-year-old man.
On the domestic and sexual violence awareness month, September, 2022, the Attorney General said since 2015, the DSVRT had commemorated the Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month, which has traditionally been in the month of September, to coincide with the month the Team was established in 2014.
Moyosore disclosed that the agency had provided services to nine persons with disabilities who were experiencing one form of gender-based violence or the other.
Moyosore disclosed that the agency had provided services to nine persons with disabilities who were experiencing one form of gender-based violence or the other.
“This has further been institutionalized by virtue of Mr. Governor giving assent to the Law establishing the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency on the 20th of September, 2021. Various activities are usually earmarked to commemorate the Month.
“The theme of this year’s activities is “IT’S ON US”. This is based on the compelling need to ensure that residents of Lagos realise that ending the menace of Sexual Gender-Based Violence is indeed a collective effort which requires the support and collaboration of all members of society,” he said.
