The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team has concluded training for 190 officials of the state Emergency Command And Control Centre in how to receive reports of sexual and gender-based violence incidents in the state.
This, it added, was in line with the quest of the state government to ensure that victims of sexual and gender-based violence had a voice and concerned members of the public, who wished to report acts of violence, were able to do so with utmost confidentiality.
Coordinator of DSVRT, Mrs Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, told journalists on Sunday that the officials were trained in how to receive reports of sexual and gender-based violence.
Vivour-Adeniyi explained that the state government also approved the use of the 112 toll-free emergency lines to report cases of rape, defilement, domestic violence, child abuse, neglect, maltreatment and other sexual assaults.
She pledged that information provided would be passed across while the concerned agencies would be notified immediately.
She said aside the dissemination of the information to the appropriate agencies for appropriate action, callers would be informed of relevant steps to be taken, depending on the nature of the call.
“They would also be given details, addresses and telephone numbers of the relevant agencies that would handle their issues, that is, for cases of rape or defilement, they can report such to the Mirabel Centre or the Office of the Public Defender,” Vivour-Adeniyi said.
She said necessary steps had been put in place to help victims of domestic violence to get adequate help and counselling as well as free legal services from the OPD.
“The essence of this initiative is to encourage victims and members of the public to make use of the 112 toll-free emergency lines in order to ensure access to justice, irrespective of class and means,” she said.
PUNCH
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