By Aderonke Ojediran
The Lagos State Government through its Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) says it received 33,009 cases of domestic and sexual violence in five years.
The Attorney-General of Lagos State, Mr Lawal Pedro, disclosed this on Monday at Ikeja, at a media parley commemorating the 2026 Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month.
Pedro, the Commissioner for Justice, who was represented by the Executive Secretary of DSVA, Mrs Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, said that the cases were received from Sept. 2021 to July 2026.
He said that the cases were received through physical walk-ins and the Virtual Referral and Response Service (VRRS), adding that the agency received an average of 300 clients monthly.
According to him, domestic violence remains the most frequently reported form of violence, with 13,515 cases recorded, followed by defilement with 1,171 cases, then child abuse and physical assault with 797 reports.
He said that the agency also recorded 420 rape cases, 428 sexual harassment issues; 100 sexual assault by penetration cases; 95 technology-facilitated sexual and gender-based violence cases; 323 threats to life and 79 attempted rape cases.
Pedro added that 1,861 family-related disputes, including custody, neglect, abduction and child labour, were also reported during the period.
The attorney-general described as “one of the most sobering findings” the fact that 10,613 children were identified as having suffered emotional abuse from exposure to domestic violence in their homes.
“These children may not have been direct targets of the violence, but exposure to violence can leave deep emotional scars,” he said.
Pedro said that the development underscored the need for the state’s response to extend beyond the immediate incident to supporting the psychological well-being of those affected.
“One of the significant findings from the period under review reveals that domestic violence and emotional violence have been the highest prevalence cases received,” he said.
The commissioner said that reported cases rose from 1,075 between Sept. and Dec. 2021 to 5,929 in 2022; 6,389 in 2023; and 7,882 in 2024; before declining to 7,721 in 2025 and 4,013 as at July 2026.
He said the figures showed a 23.6 per cent decline in reported cases between the two consecutive years under review.
Pedro, however, cautioned against interpreting the reduction in reported cases as an equivalent reduction in the prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence across Lagos.
“A reduction in reported cases does not automatically mean that sexual and gender-based violence has reduced by exactly the same proportion across Lagos State,” he said.
The commissioner explained that reporting data could be influenced by reporting behaviour, awareness, access to services and changes in the channels through which survivors sought assistance.
“Nevertheless, we believe the decline is an important signal that must be examined alongside the considerable investments Lagos State has made in prevention, early intervention, community engagement and behavioural change,” he said.
Pedro said that the state had intensified interventions aimed at addressing attitudes, behaviours and social norms that enabled abuse.
“The philosophy behind our interventions is simple: the most successful SGBV case is ultimately the one that never happens,” he said.
Pedro said that the government would continue to analyse the data, examine trends across different categories of abuse and geographical areas, engage communities and strengthen accessible reporting channels.
“Our ambition is not simply to see fewer cases appearing on our database. Our ambition is to see fewer people experiencing violence in the first place,” he said.
While speaking on the Awareness Month, the Executive Secretary of DSVA, Vivour-Adeniyi said that the objective throughout the period was to deepen public understanding of domestic and sexual violence.
She said that it was to strengthen the capacity of frontline professionals, improve access to support, deepen community and stakeholder engagement, and encourage stronger reporting and intervention.
The executive secretary also appreciated residents of Lagos who continued to see themselves as mandated reporters.
“There is the need for us all that when we see something, we should say something, so that the needful can be done,” she said. (NAN)www.nannews.ng
Edited by Florence Onuegbu