THE Lagos State Government, through the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), has said that about 1,108 men have reported being domestically abused in six years.
According to media reports, this information was disclosed by the DSVA Executive Secretary, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, on Thursday, June 1, 2023, during the unveiling of ”The Hidden Crime, Violence Against Men” initiative in Ikeja.
Vivour-Adeniyi reiterated that the initiative was to encourage males to speak up if they experience different kinds of violence.
She added that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in his inaugural speech on May 29, 2023, informed Lagos residents of the addition of ‘PLUS’ into the THEMES Agenda.
The ‘PLUS’, the DSVA scribe said, represented Social Inclusion, Gender Equality and Youth, adding that Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) is one of the greatest hindrances to achieving gender equality.
In her words: “It is, therefore, for these reasons, that the agency deemed it expedient to conceptualise this project – The Hidden Crime, Violence against Men.
“We believe that this will be an opportunity to continue to break the culture of silence, which encourages SGBV to thrive. Indeed, men and boys can be victims of domestic and sexual violence.
“A detailed overview of the data recorded over the past six years revealed that 1,108 men have reported incidents of domestic violence. This, however, does not include male children that have experienced one form of GBV or the other.”
The Executive Secretary also disclosed that the Agency’s recently concluded community engagement in over 10 local government areas revealed that Lagos’ residents believed that there had been less enlightenment and spotlight on men who were SGBV victims or survivors, noting that the Agency had a mission to ensure that no gender was left behind in its advocacy, preventive, and response mechanisms.
She said that it already had an inclusive response team in the office and would in the course of the month, engage men in all aspects of the state.
On his part, the DSVA Community Engagement Officer, Tobi Ikudaisi, said that in 2022, a total of 281 men came to the Agency to report one form of violence or the other against them.
Ikudaisi said that a lot of men had not been bold enough to speak up, as they felt they might be ridiculed by society.
He, therefore, encouraged them to speak up against violence meted out on them, so that lives could be saved.
PUNCH
