Proceedings of The World Conference on Gender Equality
Year: 2023
DOI:
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Homegrown Approach to Tackling Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, Lagos State Government’s Experience
Titilola Vivour Adeniyi
ABSTRACT:
Lagos State, the 5th Largest economy in Sub-Sharan Africa is considered a melting pot, which hosts individuals from various tribes, ethnicity, religion, socio economic status and creed. With a population of over 20 million residents, the state is grappling with various issues common with developing mega cities, including inadequate housing, transportation, flooding, climate change, urban and renewal regeneration, rapid urbanization, infrastructure development , out of school children , maternal mortality and of course Sexual and Gender Based Violence.
To address SGBV, a historical move in Lagos-Nigeria was the establishment the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) in 2014, the first of its kind in Nigeria set up basically, to provide effective coordination of issues relating to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence. Since its establishment in 2014, there has been a disturbing trend in terms of case reporting. In demonstration of the state’s resolve to end the menace in the State, in 2021, the state declared zero tolerance for all forms of SGBV, which was evident by virtue of the governor given assent to law establishing the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), saddled with the responsibility of preventing and providing support services to survivors of SGBV.
keywords: Responding to Sexual and Gender Based Violence, Government, Homegrown approach, Patriarchy, Response, Prevention, Data