Lagos Ranked Number One In Nigeria In SGBV Prevention, Response

Eko Hot Blog reports that the Lagos State Government has been ranked Number 1 in the prevention and response to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in the country.

The state’s ranking was announced at the official launch of the “WOMANITY INDEX” by Invictus Africa, in partnership with BudgIT Foundation and support from the Ford Foundation.

Speaking as a panelist at the launch which took place recently at Fraser Suites, Abuja, the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, shared various strategies the state government has adopted.

One of the strategies included the setting up of the Response Team, which has now metamorphosed into a full-fledged government agency, the statutory agency responsible for coordinating response, providing holistic response and services to survivors, preventing SGBV amongst other statutory responsibilities.

She underscored the collaboration and partnership that exists between sister Government MDAs such as the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Ministry of Education, Non-Governmental Organisations, the Police and the Lagos State Judiciary as critical in winning the war against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.

Vivour-Adeniyi further noted the need for political will in addressing this menace.

She also appreciated the unrelenting effort and unwavering zero-tolerance stance against all forms of abuse by the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Bababjide Sanwo-Olu in ensuring the menace is eradicated.

The Lagos DSVA boss further said the recognition is a validation and win for Lagos State, noting that it is a call to be unrelenting in collaborative efforts by ensuring the menace of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence is reduced to the barest minimum.

The Womanity Index is an annual assessment and ranking of subnational governments based on their performance in advancing gender equality.

The Womanity Index encompasses five domains: Gender-Based Violence, Women’s Health, Women’s Economic Empowerment, Women’s Political Representation, and Educational Parity.

The 2023 edition is focused on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) wherein States are assessed on their commitments to GBV prevention and response based on 17 indicators across five indexes – Laws and Policies, Access to Legal Justice, Support Services, Information and Awareness, and Budget and Expenditure.

The report can be downloaded here.

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