The Lagos State Government on Monday reiterated its commitment to ensuring total eradication of sexual and gender-based violence in the state.

Coordinator, Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT), Mrs. Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi said in statement in Lagos that the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration had zero tolerance for perpetrators of such crimes.

The statement enjoined victims of sexual and gender-based violence to speak out, assuring them that the state government was ready to fight all such causes and ensure justice.

It said that Governor Ambode met with the team in July and charged them to go all out and increase victim safety and offender responsibility by providing a cross-jurisdictional response.

“In the past one month alone, the team has attended to about 50 cases in the state and 30 of these cases are victims of domestic violence.

“The team is also currently monitoring over 20 cases, which include child abuse, defilement and rape with key evidential medical and police reports.

“However, this is excluding the total number of cases the Directorate of Public Prosecutions is prosecuting at the High Court.”

The statement said that DSVRT had trained over 800 mandated reporters who are State Government employees that had dealings with children, on how to detect signs of child abuse and steps to take in reporting such cases.

It also said that over 2000 school children had been empowered through their rape prevention workshops on how to avoid being victims of sexual abuse, self-defence and how to preserve evidence when physically or sexually assaulted.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state government, in September 2014, inaugurated the DSVRT to respond to the increasing incidents of rape, defilement, domestic violence, child abuse, neglect and maltreatment in the State.

DSVRT comprises representatives of the Nigeria Police, Directorate of Public Prosecutions, Office of the Public Defender, the Directorate of Citizens’ Rights and Office of Youth and Social Development.

Also, the Ministries of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Health and Education, Civil Society Organisations and the media are also involved in the fight against sexual and gender-based crimes. (NAN)

•Photo shows Gov. Ambode

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