Lagos Steps Up Efforts to Combat GBV as Cases Reach 6,753

• Sanwo-Olu’s poverty fight yields 5,339 new entrepreneurs

The Lagos State Government reported that 6,753 cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) were recorded in 2025, and that 2,460 survivors obtained justice through various intervention and support mechanisms established by the government.

During the same period, the government intensified its poverty‑alleviation and economic‑empowerment drive, providing business tools and equipment to 5,339 residents and graduating 5,313 individuals from its network of tuition‑free skills‑acquisition centres.

Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Bolaji Cecilia Dada, disclosed these figures at the ministry’s ministerial press briefing marking the third year of Governor Babajide Sanwo‑Olu’s second term. She revealed that 116 offenders were prosecuted, and that 3,099 survivors received recovery and support services.

According to the commissioner, of the 6,753 reported GBV cases, 6,213 involved female victims and 540 involved male victims.

She added that 2,263 female survivors and 197 male survivors secured justice through legal and institutional interventions.

Dada said the ministry continued to strengthen its response framework through mediation, counselling, awareness campaigns, emergency intervention services and partnerships with relevant agencies and development organisations.

She noted that 273 survivors were provided with livelihood support programmes aimed at helping them rebuild their lives and attain financial independence, while 3,099 victims benefited from recovery, counselling and support services.

The commissioner explained that the Domestic Violence Unit of the ministry remains at the forefront of efforts to address domestic violence and sexual and gender‑based violence across Lagos.

“The Domestic Violence Unit remains dedicated to its mandate of eradicating domestic violence and ensuring a safe and supportive environment for all residents of Lagos State. Through sustained collaboration, policy support and resource allocation, we are expanding our reach and impact in the fight against domestic violence and gender‑based abuse,” she said.

Dada disclosed that the ministry implemented 75,037 preventive actions against GBV during the review period through community sensitisation campaigns, advocacy programmes and public enlightenment initiatives conducted across urban, rural and riverine communities in the state.

According to Dada, the state has continued to invest heavily in human capital development through its 19 Skills Acquisition Centres spread across the five divisions of Lagos, as well as the Women Development Centre in Agege.

She revealed that 5,310 students successfully completed vocational training programmes during the review period, acquiring skills in areas such as fashion design, catering, cosmetology, barbing, ICT, welding, furniture making, photography, textile production and other trades.

The commissioner said many of the graduates had gone on to establish businesses and become employers of labour rather than job seekers.

To ensure beneficiaries can translate their skills into sustainable income, Dada said the government provided tools and equipment to 5,339 beneficiaries under its Micro Enterprise Support Initiative (MESI).

“Through the Micro Enterprise Support Initiative, beneficiaries have been provided with equipment and tools to grow businesses, turning dreams into livelihoods and livelihoods into engines of economic growth,” she said.

Dada explained the programme was designed to promote self‑reliance, financial independence and long‑term economic stability among women, young adults and other vulnerable groups across the state.

In a further push toward digital inclusion, the commissioner disclosed that 600 beneficiaries received Android phones after completing a three‑day Digital Marketing and E‑Commerce Training Programme organised by the ministry.

The training equipped artisans, market women, traders and young entrepreneurs with practical skills in online marketing, social media branding, customer engagement and electronic commerce.