Lagos Unveils Community Committee Against GBV

The Lagos State Government, through the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), has inaugurated a Community Dialogue Committee (CDC) to boost grassroots efforts in combating Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) across the state.

Speaking at the inauguration on Monday, the Executive Secretary of DSVA, Mrs. Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, described the initiative as a major milestone in strengthening community-based structures for the prevention and response to SGBV.

Vivour-Adeniyi, represented by the agency’s Community Engagement Officer, Ms. Adetoun Odumbo, explained that the CDC’s primary mandate is to reinforce community structures that can identify, respond to, and refer SGBV cases appropriately.

The event brought together about 50 representatives from Mushin Local Government Area and Odi-Olowo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), including stakeholders from diverse community sectors.

Vivour-Adeniyi noted that the committee’s membership was strategically structured to include traditional rulers, religious leaders, community heads, women’s groups, youth advocates, SGBV survivor champions, as well as representatives from the health and education sectors, ward-level DSVA officers, and local government gender desks.

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On his part, Mr. Damilare Adewusi, DSVA’s Head of Community Engagement, outlined the roles and responsibilities of CDC members. These include:

• Facilitating community dialogues to raise awareness on SGBV.
• Providing immediate and confidential support to survivors.
• Identifying potential cases of abuse and referring them to appropriate authorities.
• Maintaining accurate and confidential documentation of reported incidents.
• Acting as liaison officers between their communities and DSVA to enable swift intervention and sustained collaboration.

He added that the initiative aims to embed sustainable support systems within communities, ensuring that interventions are accessible, timely, and effective in the state’s collective fight against gender-based violence.

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