Lagos records 33,009 domestic, sexual violence cases in five years

By Adeola Ogunrinde

The Lagos State Government has disclosed that it recorded 33,009 cases of domestic and sexual violence between September 2021 and July 2026, with domestic violence accounting for the highest number of reported cases.

The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, SAN, disclosed this on Monday at a media parley organised to herald the 2026 Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month in Lagos.

Pedro, who was represented by the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), Titilọla-Vivour Adeniyi, said the figures, compiled from physical walk-ins and the Virtual Referral system, also included 95 cases of technology-facilitated sexual and gender-based violence, 323 threats to life, 79 attempted rape cases and 1,861 family-related disputes involving custody, neglect, abduction and child labour.

He, however, described as particularly disturbing the 10,613 children identified as having suffered emotional abuse as a result of exposure to domestic violence in their homes, stressing that the government’s responsibility was to ensure that every victim was heard, every survivor supported and every perpetrator brought within the ambit of the law.

According to Pedro, DSVA recorded 1,075 cases between September and December 2021, 5,929 in 2022, 6,389 in 2023, 7,882 in 2024, 7,721 in 2025 and 4,013 cases as of July 2026, while women accounted for 88 per cent of reporters compared with 12 per cent for men.

He cautioned against interpreting the reported decline in cases as an automatic indication that the prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence had fallen by the same proportion, noting that the problem cuts across social and economic classes and should not be attributed solely to unemployment or economic hardship.

Meanwhile, Pedro announced that Lagos would mark the 2026 Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month throughout September under the theme, “SGBV — It Ends With Us,” with activities including the Turn Lagos Purple campaign on September 1, Turn Alausa Purple on Sept. 2, specialised training for medical social workers and police officers, a mental wellness programme for frontline personnel, disability-inclusive case management training, an advocacy walk against SGBV and training for newly recruited health workers.

The commissioner further disclosed that the month-long programme will also feature Survivors’ Day on Sept. 15, private-sector engagement on workplace sexual harassment prevention on Sept. 16, a Market Fiesta at Ile-Epo Market on Sept. 17, Safeguarding and Child Protection Week from Sept. 21 to 25, the National Convening of Gender-Based Violence State Coordinators and the launch of the Lagos State GBV Prevention Policy on Sept. 24 and 25, before culminating in a Governor’s Commendation and Awards Night on Sept. 29 to recognise individuals, institutions and partners who have contributed to combating domestic and sexual violence.