The Lagos State Domestic and sexual violence Agency (DSVA) has engaged focal persons in a 2-day training on acting as first responders of abuse.

The focal persons were drawn from Kosofe Local Government Area (LGA), Agboyi Ketu LCDA and Ikosi-Isheri LCDA at Kosofe LGA of the State.

The Executive Secretary, Mrs Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi said the Agency is executing its statutory mandate which formed part of educating, sensitizing and ensuring that the government stance is engrained through its various programs.

Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi who was represented by the Head of Community Engagement at the event, Mr Damilare Adewusi spoke on gender perspective and the relevant laws backing sexual and gender-based violence.

One of the facilitators, Ms Salami Kafayat Ebose from the Community Engagement Department DSVA took the first session on an overview of sexual and gender-based violence, she took the focal persons through the rudiments of abuse, its meaning and the various forms of abuse and how to identify them.

She also discussed the relevance of consent, its withdrawal, sexual assault, types of child abuse, and the psychological effect of domestic violence on a child.

Similarly, Mr Tobi Ikudayisi who took participants through the process of interviewing survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, explained that a survivor’s trauma, expectations, and stressed the importance of providing the necessary Psycho-social support, data/evidence collection phase will most importantly determine the success or failure of the case.

He also explained the relevance of empathy during this phase, the importance to communicate in a language that is best suitable to the survivor and encouraged participants to take the message of zero tolerance of all forms of abuse to their community.

Ikudayisi encouraged the community members to always report cases of abuse via the toll free line: 08000333333 as they are all mandated reporters.

Source: Voice of Nigeria