Lagos Intensifies Market Sensitization Against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV)

​The Lagos State Ministry of Health has significantly escalated its campaign against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) with a proactive two-day community sensitization rally targeting high-risk areas. The rallies were held in Ajeromi-Ajegunle and Ojo’s Iyana Iba Market, specifically focusing on educating traders, women, and young people. This initiative, organized in partnership with Lagos Sexual Assault Referral Centres, aims to decisively dismantle the pervasive culture of silence that continues to fuel abuse within communities across the state.

​​​Dr. Olasunbo Ayeni, Head of the Gender and School Health Division, Ministry of Health, explained that the campaign was driven by the "troubling number" of SGBV cases reported at the Idera Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Alimosho. She emphasized that the state government is now intensifying its grassroots efforts because many survivors and witnesses are still reluctant to report incidents due to overwhelming fear, social stigma, or intense community pressure. This silence allows perpetrators to thrive and repeat misconduct by moving undetected from one area to another.

​Dr. Ayeni explicitly addressed a common misconception among market women: the lack of awareness that withholding information about SGBV incidents is a criminal offence. She stressed that the rally was strategically designed to correct these dangerous misconceptions, empower residents with crucial reporting information, and reinforce the Lagos State Government’s uncompromising stance that SGBV will not be tolerated under any circumstances. She identified silence as the key driver of the increasing reports and urged witnesses to act promptly by calling the DSVA hotline: 08100-333-333, assuring them of identity protection.

​Furthermore, the sensitization rally provided vital, practical education to participants about the complete range of government support available. This included information on the presence of trained personnel, the immediate availability of rape kits, detailed evidence-collection procedures, and DNA testing services at Lagos State health facilities. Dr. Ayeni reaffirmed the government's commitment to strengthening the SGBV response system and stressed that effective management requires the active involvement of all stakeholders: law enforcement, the Ministry of Justice, the DSVA, health workers, and, critically, the general public.

Complementing this, Dr. Iriadat Awofuyebi, Principal Medical Officer, echoed that underreporting is one of the greatest obstacles, noting that fear of stigma, victim-blaming, and discrimination often leads survivors to silence. A Counsellor, Mrs. Feyisayo Oshungbohun, encouraged residents to fully utilize the Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC) like the Idera and Mirabel Centres, where survivors can receive immediate assistance, counselling, and medical support without judgment. She made a strong appeal to families to cease concealing sexual assault cases as "family matters," warning that such actions only embolden abusers, and urged prompt reporting to the nearest police station for SARC referral.