The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said that his administration has convicted 50 persons for sexual and gender-based violence in the past year.
Sanwo-Olu revealed this in a video shared by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, on X.com on Sunday.
The governor said this to welcome the month of September, the state’s domestic and sexual violence awareness month.
“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.
In July, a human rights group, Take It Back Movement, called on the Federal Government to declare an emergency on sexual and gender-based violence in Nigeria.
The group’s Head, Gender Department, Omolola Pedro, made the call in a press statement.
The organisation expressed concerns about what it described as “rising cases” of SGBV in the country particularly the recent incident in Lagos where a policeman was accused of defiling a 17-year-old girl.be applied efficiently.
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