Lagos State Government has launched a Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Prevention Policy, with stakeholders calling for stronger coordination among states and institutions to tackle violence against women, children and other vulnerable persons.
The policy was unveiled yesterday at the National Convening of GBV State Coordinators.
The theme was ‘Strengthening a Unified and Coordinated Response to Gender-Based Violence in Nigeria.’
Welcoming participants to the two-day event, the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Lawal Pedro (SAN), stressed the need for stronger coordination among states and institutions in tackling gender-based violence.
Pedro said the launch of the state’s policy would further strengthen the prevention framework and provide a structured approach to addressing the root causes of gender-based violence.
He said the fight against GBV requires more than isolated interventions, stressing the importance of collaboration among justice-sector institutions, law enforcement agencies, health and social-welfare providers, civil society organisations, traditional institutions and communities.
According to him, stronger coordination would help close gaps in prevention, reporting, referral, protection and access to justice for survivors.
The opening session featured goodwill messages from the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Alogba; Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa; the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi(SAN); and Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim.
The Delegation of the European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS was also represented at the event.
Speaking through the Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the battle against gender-based violence cannot be won by government alone.
He said families, schools, communities, traditional institutions, the private sector, civil society organisations and government have roles to play in preventing violence and protecting vulnerable Nigerians.
According to the governor, government must provide the leadership, systems and accountability required to bring the various efforts together.
He stressed the need to ensure that survivors do not have to navigate a maze of institutions before accessing assistance.
‘When survivors reach out for help, there must not be a maze of institutions between that person and justice. There must be a pathway to care, a pathway to justice and, ultimately, a pathway to healing and restoration,’ the governor said.
Sanwo-Olu revealed that more than 3,000 cases of domestic and sexual violence were handled through the state’s response system between September 2021 and July 2023.
He said each case represented a human life affected by violence and underscored the need for stronger prevention and response mechanisms.
The governor said Lagos has strengthened its institutions, response mechanisms, survivor support, access to justice, public awareness and prevention programmes, but added that more needed to be done.
He described the national convening as an opportunity for states to share experiences, identify gaps and learn from one another’s successes and challenges.
Sanwo-Olu said safety and dignity should be treated as a common national interest, while stressing the need to build institutions and systems capable of surviving changes in political and administrative leadership.
He stressed that policies must not merely exist as documents but should translate into measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians.
The governor also called for a change in social attitudes that allow violence to persist, including silence around abuse, stigma against survivors and the tendency to excuse perpetrators.
He reaffirmed his government’s commitment to strengthening institutions, protecting and supporting survivors, improving access to justice, deepening collaboration and addressing misconduct.
Also, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, who was represented by Mrs Lawson Olubunmi, said gender-based violence remained a persistent violation of human dignity in the country.
He said that survivors have continued to face barriers in reporting incidents, accessing protective services and obtaining timely justice despite progress in legislation and institutional development.
She identified fragmented response systems, weak inter-agency collaboration and inconsistent case management as some of the challenges undermining the fight against GBV.
The minister called for closer cooperation among the judiciary, prosecution, law enforcement, legal-aid providers, health and social-welfare agencies, civil society organisations, and traditional and community structures.
Fagbemi stressed the need for stronger referral systems, standardised case-management protocols, reliable data collection and effective accountability mechanisms.
The First Lady of Lagos State, Dr Claudiana Sanwo-Olu, called for sustained commitment and collective action to prevent GBV and protect women, children and other vulnerable persons.