Health
LASG records 33,009 domestic, sexual violence cases in five years
By Ayoola Babalola
Lagos State recorded 33,009 cases of domestic and sexual violence between September 2021 and July 2026, with domestic violence accounting for the largest share of reported cases.
The state, however, recorded a 23.6 per cent decline in reported cases between the two years under review.
The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, SAN, disclosed this on Monday at a media parley to mark the commencement of the 2026 Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month in Lagos.
The data presented by the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency showed that 13,515 cases of domestic violence were reported during the period, alongside 1,171 cases of defilement, 797 cases of child abuse and physical assault, 420 cases of rape, 428 cases of sexual harassment and 100 cases of sexual assault by penetration.
The agency also recorded 323 threats to life, 79 attempted rape cases, 95 incidents of technology-facilitated sexual and gender-based violence involving adults and minors, and 1,861 family-related disputes, including cases involving custody, neglect, abduction and child labour.
However, Pedro said one of the most concerning aspects of the figures was the number of children indirectly affected by violence in their homes.
A total of 10,613 children were identified as having suffered emotional abuse after being exposed to domestic violence.
“However, one of the most sobering findings from the year’s data concerns children. 10,613 children were identified as having suffered emotional abuse as a result of being exposed to domestic violence in their homes.
“These children may not have been direct targets of the violence, but exposure to violence can leave deep emotional scars. This is why our response must extend beyond addressing the immediate incident to supporting the psychological well-being of those affected,” Pedro said.
The annual figures showed an increase in reported cases from 1,075 between September and December 2021 to 5,929 in 2022, 6,389 in 2023 and 7,882 in 2024. Reports fell marginally to 7,721 in 2025 and stood at 4,013 as of July 2026.
Pedro, however, cautioned against interpreting the decline as evidence that violence itself had fallen by the same proportion.
“As an agency committed to evidence-based practice, we must interpret these figures responsibly. A reduction in reported cases does not automatically mean that Sexual and Gender Based Violence has reduced by exactly the same proportion across Lagos State,” he said.
He said reporting figures could be affected by awareness, survivors’ willingness to report, access to services and changes in the channels through which victims sought assistance.
“Nevertheless, we believe the decline is an important signal that must be examined alongside the considerable investments Lagos State has made in prevention, early intervention, community engagement and behavioural change,” Pedro said.
“Our ambition is not simply to see fewer cases appearing on our database. Our ambition is to see fewer people experiencing violence in the first place.”
The distribution of cases further showed that domestic violence constituted 75.5 per cent of reported assaults among adults, while failure to provide necessaries accounted for 9.1 per cent.
Sexual harassment and rape each represented 2.4 per cent, while cyber harassment or the release of pornographic material accounted for 0.7 per cent.
Threats to life represented 0.6 per cent, sexual assault by penetration 0.4 per cent and attempted rape 0.3 per cent.
Among children, emotional abuse was overwhelmingly dominant, accounting for 82.3 per cent of reported cases. Defilement represented 8.2 per cent, while physical assault and child abuse accounted for 6.6 per cent.
The data also revealed the psychological burden carried by survivors.
Pedro said 90 per cent reported consequences including low self-esteem, post-traumatic stress disorder, extreme fear and anxiety, while about five per cent experienced depression requiring medical attention.
He said the agency’s analysis also showed that 30 per cent of women who reported abuse were pregnant when the violence occurred, while 35 per cent of survivors of domestic violence reported that the abuse occurred within the first five years of their marriages.
Financial dependence, concerns about children and socio-cultural pressures, he said, were among the factors contributing to delayed reporting.
The figures also challenged the tendency to explain domestic and sexual violence principally through economic hardship.
While 38 per cent of survivors were unemployed, 47 per cent were employed and seven per cent were self-employed.
Among alleged perpetrators, 31 per cent were employed, 45 per cent self-employed and 12 per cent unemployed.
“This proves that Domestic and Sexual Violence cannot be reduced to unemployment or economic hardship. Violence cuts across social and economic categories, and our prevention efforts must reflect that reality,” Pedro said.
The state said its response during the period extended from reporting and investigation to legal assistance, healthcare, psychosocial support, rescue and temporary shelter.
According to Pedro, 175 survivors received free legal support through the agency’s in-house lawyers, the Bureau of the Public Defender, private law firms and the Lagos Public Interest Law Partnership.
Another 40 survivors were accommodated at Eko Haven and other safe shelters, while the agency’s Clinical Psychology Department provided psychotherapy and counselling to 953 survivors, 267 perpetrators and 304 children.
The agency also conducted 501 rescue operations and provided services to 46 persons with disabilities experiencing different forms of gender-based violence.
On prosecution, Pedro said the state obtained 20 restraining orders under the Lagos State Protection Against Domestic Violence Law and financially supported the investigation and prosecution of 464 SGBV-related cases, while more than 711 cases were charged to court.
The Directorate of Public Prosecutions, Ministry of Justice, he added, secured more than 160 convictions during the period.
The agency has also expanded its referral system, with 14 per cent of cases referred to the police or Family Support Units and 5.2 per cent directed to social services or maintenance support.
Health facilities accounted for 2.4 per cent of referrals, while 0.8 per cent went to the Bureau of the Public Defender.
Alternative Dispute Resolution accounted for 35.3 per cent of referrals, with 17.2 per cent of survivors and their partners subsequently signing memoranda of understanding.
Pedro said the Virtual Referral and Response Service accounted for 29.5 per cent of adult referrals, highlighting the importance of accessible channels through which victims could seek help without necessarily appearing physically at an agency office.
The state has also sought to push prevention beyond formal institutions and into communities.
The DSVA said its sensitisation campaigns, including door-to-door campaigns, market engagements, Community Development Association meetings and school outreach programmes, reached an estimated 1,964,559 residents across the state’s 20 local government areas.
More than 700 safeguarding and child protection officers across the six education districts received training, while more than 1,000 primary and secondary school students participated in a safeguarding workshop.
The agency said more than 60,000 educators, parents and caregivers had also been reached through its Safeguarding and Child Protection Online Course.
Pedro said the agency had established sub-offices in Kosofe and Ikorodu to bring services closer to residents, while more than 50 traditional rulers and their chiefs had been engaged on SGBV prevention.
The state has also introduced technology into its response system, including the reintroduction of the *6820# USSD short code in October 2025 and the ASK INU WhatsApp chatbot.
In December 2025, Lagos launched a policy framework on technology-facilitated sexual and gender-based violence and inaugurated a technical working group for its implementation.
The 2026 awareness campaign, which began on Monday, is themed “SGBV — It Ends With Us” and will run throughout September, with activities targeting communities, schools, workplaces, markets, health facilities, traditional institutions and frontline professionals.
The programme includes the Turn Lagos Purple campaign on September 1, Turn Alausa Purple on September 2, training for medical social workers and police officers, an advocacy walk against SGBV, training for newly recruited health workers, Survivors’ Day, private-sector engagement on workplace sexual harassment and a market fiesta at Ile-Epo Market.
The state will also hold a Safeguarding and Child Protection Week from September 21 to 25, targeting more than 1,200 students across the six education districts.
A national convening of state gender-based violence coordinators is scheduled for September 24 and 25, alongside the launch of the Lagos State GBV Prevention Policy.
The month-long programme will end with a Governor’s Commendation and Awards Night on September 29.
Pedro said the campaign was ultimately intended to move Lagos beyond a system that waits for violence to occur before responding.
“Taken together, these interventions tell a broader story about the direction of our work. We are moving from a system that responds only when violence is reported to one that increasingly seeks to prevent violence, identify risks earlier, strengthen frontline capacity, bring services closer to communities and create multiple pathways through which residents can seek help,” he said.
He said Lagos’ experience was also being shared with other states, with DSVA providing technical support to more than 18 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory, to develop similar systems for preventing and responding to domestic and sexual violence.
But Pedro maintained that the ultimate test of the state’s efforts would not be the volume of activities conducted or the number of cases removed from official statistics.
“Whilst we are encouraged by the decline in reports, our goal is not lower reporting. Our goal is lower prevalence. We will only call it success when the wider evidence tells us fewer people are experiencing violence,” he said.
He urged victims and survivors to seek help through the state’s toll-free line, 0-8000-333-333, while calling on families, neighbours, colleagues and institutions not to ignore signs of abuse.
“To the survivor, we say: you deserve safety, dignity and justice. To the family member, friend, neighbour or colleague who notices something is wrong: do not look away.
“To our institutions and communities: create environments where people can speak freely, report and seek help. And to every Lagosian: report cases via our toll-free line 0-8000-333-333, join the upcoming activities during Awareness Month, speak up, and support survivors,” Pedro said.
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