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The Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice,
Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), has disclosed that the state Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) handled
10,007 reported cases of domestic and sexual violence between May 2019 and August 26, 2021.
He disclosed this at a media parley commemorating the domestic and sexual violence awareness month on Wednesday
in Alausa, Ikeja.
The attorney-general, who is also the DSVRT chairman, said the team provides a coordinated response and creates unprecedented levels of collaboration among professionals working to end sexual and gender-based violence in the state.
Giving a breakdown of the data for the period under review, Onigbanjo highlighted that “From May 2019 till August 26, 2021, the team has handled 10,007 cases which are into two categories, adults and children.”
He gave a breakdown of the cases as follows: domestic violence (4,150), rape (177), attempt to commit rape/sexual assault (255), sexual assault by penetration/threat (246 ), and separation, not taking responsibilities of child(ren), neglect, custody of the child, non-GBV, among others, (877).
Other offences are child abuse/physical assault (436), defilement cases (271), (defilement by minor to minor (13), child labour, abduction neglect/others (454), sexual harassment/molestation cases (148).
The commissioner said that a “total of 2,980 children have experienced emotional abuse (i.e. these children have been exposed to domestic violence within the home). Some of these children have been taken through counselling programmes to ensure they are able to psychologically deal with the events they have witnessed without it having a permanent and negative impact on them.”
He said that “Since May 2019, the team began to attend to on average 150 new cases monthly.
“We have also witnessed an increase in reporting of cases from other states, mostly from Ogun and Oyo. In the past two years, a total of 526 cases occurred outside Lagos. Such cases are promptly referred to the relevant agencies in their respective states.”
He said the vision and activities of DSVRT are in complete alignment with Mr. Governor’s THEMES Agenda, particularly the pillars of health, education, security and good governance.
He added that “In 2021, the team has provided services to 10 persons with disabilities who were experiencing one form of gender-based violence or the other.
“In 2021 alone, the team has sadly received reports of five victims of domestic violence who have died, all of which were escalated to the Police, as well as the Chief Coroner of Lagos State for a coroner’s inquest to be conducted with a view to ascertaining the cause of death, the outcome of which would greatly strengthen the case of the prosecution.Prosecution is ongoing in three of the cases while the remaining two suspects are currently on the run”
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