The Attorney General of Lagos, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Moyosore Onigbanjo has said that the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), received over 4,800 cases from Sept 2021 to July 2022, IgbereTV reports
Of these number, a total of 1578 children were said to have experienced emotional abuse and exposure to Domestic Violence within the home.
At a media parley to kickstart activities to commemorate the Domestic & Sexual Violence Awareness Month, this September, the AG disclosed that the youngest child that experienced sexual violence in the year under review was 8 months, whilst the oldest client that experienced domestic violence was a 75-year-old woman and an 89-year-old man.
The AG also disclosed that the Domestic & Sexual Agency now receives a minimum of 200 clients on a monthly basis while it has also secured over 150 convictions.
“Out of the 20 Local Government Areas in Lagos State, the top 5 highest LGA of highest reporting for adults cases, include Alimosho, Ikorodu, Kosofe, Eti-Osa and Oshodi Isolo, whilst for cases involving children, the agency recorded high reporting from Alimosho, Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, Ikorodu, and Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Areas.
“Further analysis of cases under the year in review revealed that at least 60% of survivors that reported to the Agency, experienced domestic violence in the first five years of their marriage.
“However, 50% of the reports were made after 10 years of the subsistence of the marriage. Various factors which contributed to delay in reporting include- financial dependence on the abuser, wanting to remain in the abusive relationship because of their children as well as other socio-cultural factors”.
According to Onigbanjo, “through the established Gender Based Violence Virtual and Referral Service, which is supported by the EU funded Spotlight initiative and United Nations Population Fund the virtual system has provided legal, psychosocial, referral as well as emergency services to 1366 adults and 219 children; a total of 1585 cases
