The Lagos State government has reported that at least 70 men experienced domestic violence inflicted by their wives over the past year.
Bolaji Cecilia-Dada, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in Lagos, shared this information on Wednesday during a ministerial press briefing marking the first anniversary of Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term as governor of Lagos.
Cecilia-Dada revealed that the ministry recorded a total of 662 cases of sexual violence from 2023 to the present. She noted that 21 women who reported incidents did not provide sufficient information about their situations.
Specifically, she stated, “The domestic violence unit recorded the total number of sexual violence cases from 2023 to date. Through the ministry, 23 males came to report cases of gender-based violence, and 247 women also came.”
Furthermore, the commissioner reported that their toll-free lines received 43 reports from males and 324 reports from females, with an additional 21 women failing to give adequate information.
This brought the total number of reported cases to 662 from 2023 to the present.
Cecilia-Dada also mentioned that the state government conducted awareness campaigns in markets and riverine areas during the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence in 2023.
Additionally, the ministry, in collaboration with the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), launched the Purple Project to ensure a swift response to cases of sexual and gender-based violence.
In her remarks, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, Executive Secretary of the Lagos Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), highlighted that between September 2022 and July 2023, at least 340 men reported experiencing domestic violence.
