Lagos State Government, through its Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), has charged community leaders to tackle Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV).
The Executive Secretary of DSVA, Mrs Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, gave the charge on Tuesday in Ikeja at a one-day training for community leaders.
The event had the theme: “Community Leaders: Flagbearers in the Fight against SGBV”.
Represented by Mr Damilare Adewusi, Head of Community Engagement at DSVA, Vivour-Adeniyi said that community leaders were flagbearers in the fight against SGBV by virtue of their positions.
She said that community leaders were key actors in addressing and preventing SGBV and should be impartial when dealing with cases reported to them.
According to her, community leaders can influence decisions, policies and initiatives to address and prevent SGBV as well as shape community responses.
“Community leaders can establish community norms and values that reject violence and promote respect for all individuals.
“Community leaders are close to the grassroots; hence, it is important to engage them in the fight against SGBV.
“We are expecting that after the engagement, there will be great improvement at the grassroots,” she said.
The Head of Case Management Unit of DSVA, Mrs Timininu Oni, said that gender-based violence affected every person directly or indirectly.
Oni said that SGBV was rooted in gender inequality, patriarchy and power imbalance.
She described gender-based violence as any violence which targeted individuals or groups on the basis of their genders.
“Gender-based violence, sometimes referred to as sexual and gender-based violence, is any harmful act of sexual, physical, psychological, mental and emotional abuse perpetrated against a person’s will and based on socially-ascribed ( that is gender) difference,” Oni said.
The Head of Legal Department of DSVA, Mrs Yetunde Odekunle, said that there were laws guarding against SGBV in Lagos State.
Odekunle said that the laws included Protection Against Domestic Violence Law, 2015; Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015; and the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency Law, 2021.
She said that the laws were not to protect women alone, but were also to protect men, boys and girls against domestic violence.
Alhaji Azeez Amusat, Chairman, Lagos State Community Development Advisory Council, said that the training had exposed community leaders to more knowledge about sexual harassment, sexual abuse and domestic violence within communities.
“Many people think that sexual and gender-based violence relates to women alone, whereas it relates also to men, children, adult and the youth.
“This programme has made us to know what the law says we should be doing and what should not be done.
“We are expecting reduction in such violence because no one wants to be dragged into detention,” Amusat said.
