In a move to sensitise men to the fact that they can also be victims of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) has launched a programme to that effect.
The agency also called on men that are victims of domestic and sexual violence to break the culture of silence and speak up.
At the launch of the project, ‘The Hidden Crime, Violence Against Men’, held in Alausa, the Executive Secretary of DSVA, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, told the participants, numbering about 300 men, that they play a crucial role in the fight against SGBV in the state.
Vivour-Adeniyi said a recently concluded community engagement in over 10 local government areas had revealed the need for enlightenment and focus on men who are victims or survivors of SGBV.
According to her, the project aimed to ensure that the agency leaves no gender behind in its advocacy, preventive, and response mechanisms, stressing that it is determined to break the culture of silence which encourages sexual and gender-based violence to thrive in society through the initiative.
Also speaking, the agency’s Community Engagement Officer, Ikudaisi Oluwatobi, urged men to speak out and report any case of sexual violence in their community to rid the state of the menace.
Ikudaisi reiterated that the purpose of the project launch was “to increase awareness on the prevalence of gender-based violence in Lagos.”
In other news, Kanyi Daily reported that music star, Davido’s aide, Isreal Afeare, popularly known as Isreal DMW, has responded to critics who were trolling him over his wife’s age, revealing that he met her as a virgin when she was 21.
