The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, announced that his government has successfully prosecuted 50 individuals for sexual and gender-based violence over the last year.
Sanwo-Olu made this declaration in a video posted by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, on X.com last Sunday.
The governor highlighted this achievement as he marked the beginning of September, which is recognized as the state’s month for raising awareness about domestic and sexual violence.
“Dedicating a whole month to this cause is one of the ways we ensure that these issues remain on the front burner. Our administration, through our THEMES Plus Agenda, has implemented comprehensive, preventive, and remedial policies, including strategic interventions and programmes, to provide support, protect, empower, and entre justice for survivors.
“In the past one year, the state has secured over 50 convictions. We have provided holistic services to over 6,000 survivors and reached out to over a million Lagosians through advocacy and sensitisation,” the governor said.
Sanwo-Olu stressed that while several gains had been made, a lot of survivors had yet to access services as the issues continued to thrive in secrecy.
“Together we can raise awareness and support survivors and ensure the perpetrators are held accountable.
“Lagos has indeed walked the talk on issues of sexual and gender-based violence with our pioneer initiatives yielding fruits by the day. Therefore, you can trust my administration is fully committed to this course,” he added.
Omolola Pedro, Head of the Gender Department at Take It Back Movement, a human rights organization, issued a press statement urging the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency regarding sexual and gender-based violence in Nigeria, as reported by The NAIJATRAFFIC.
Take It Back Movement voiced concerns over the “rising cases” of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Nigeria, specifically highlighting a recent incident in Lagos where a police officer was accused of raping a 17-year-old girl, emphasizing the need for urgent action to address this growing issue.
