Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has called for a fundamental shift in the fight against gender-based violence (GBV), saying the greatest victory would be to prevent violence from occurring rather than simply becoming better at responding to reported cases.

Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin, spoke yesterday at the National Convening of Gender-Based Violence State Coordinators in Lagos, where the state launched its Gender-Based Violence Prevention Policy.

The governor said the policy marked a deliberate move from a predominantly reactive approach to one that addresses the attitudes, behaviours and social conditions that enable violence.

He said: “Our greatest victory will not be becoming better at responding to violence. Our greatest victory will be creating a society in which fewer people experience violence in the first place.”

According to him, while receiving complaints, protecting survivors, providing medical and psychological support, investigating cases and pursuing justice remain essential, government and society must also confront what happens before violence occurs.

“Prevention means confronting harmful behaviours before they become violent. It means educating our children about dignity, respect, boundaries and responsibility. It means empowering families, teachers and communities to recognise warning signs and act earlier,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu said the responsibility for preventing GBV extends beyond government to families, schools, traditional and religious institutions, the media, private sector, civil society organisations and communities.

He stressed that survivors must be able to access safety, care, justice, healing and restoration without encountering institutional barriers.

“When a survivor reaches out for help, there must not be a wall between that person and justice. There must be a pathway to safety, a pathway to care, a pathway to justice and, ultimately, a pathway to healing and restoration,” he said.

The governor noted that Lagos had made significant investments in strengthening its response mechanisms, survivor support, access to justice, public awareness and prevention programmes, but said the state must now focus on preventing the next case rather than only responding to the last one.

The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) reported that it handled 33,009 cases between September 2021 and July 2026, including domestic violence, defilement, child abuse, rape and sexual harassment. The agency also reported that more than 10,600 children had been affected by domestic violence during the period.

Sanwo-Olu said the figures represented more than statistics, as each case involved a person, family and community affected by violence.

He challenged participants at the national convening, which brought together GBV coordinators from states across the country and the Federal Capital Territory, to share successful interventions, identify gaps and develop approaches that could be adapted across jurisdictions.

“Lagos does not have all the answers. We have important lessons, but we are willing to share our successes and our challenges,” he said, urging states to learn from one another rather than operate in isolation.

The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, SAN, said the conference was particularly important because Lagos had developed substantial experience in survivor protection, intervention, referral, investigation, prosecution and conviction, but recognised that prevention had to become a greater priority.

Pedro said the state’s new policy was designed to move the fight against GBV upstream by addressing harmful attitudes and behaviours before they develop into violence.

He cited the Lagos Boy-Child Initiative, championed by the First Lady, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, as one of the approaches aimed at engaging boys and young men early and teaching them respect for the rights, feelings and dignity of others.

“The idea is to go away from detection, investigation and prosecution and begin with prevention,” Pedro said.

He also stressed that GBV should not be treated exclusively as a women’s issue, noting that boys and men could also be victims of abuse or false allegations.

Pedro said his office had intervened in cases where males were allegedly wrongly accused, adding that such cases should be properly investigated before prosecution.

Wife of the Governor of Lagos State, Dr Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, also reaffirmed the state’s commitment to strengthening institutions, protecting survivors, improving access to justice, deepening collaboration and investing in prevention, while stressing that government alone could not end GBV.

She urged participants to ensure that the policy did not remain a document on a government shelf but translated into tangible changes in homes, schools, workplaces and communities.

“Does it get to our students? Does it strengthen our communities? Does it improve our data and coordination? Does it make survivors safer? Does it change the conversations parents have with their children? And ultimately, does it result in fewer people experiencing violence? That is the standard we must set for ourselves,” she said.

The Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mobolaji Ogunlende, said tackling GBV required stronger collaboration among ministries, agencies and other stakeholders.

He identified communication, data management and coordination as some of the challenges confronting the response system, adding that sustained advocacy was being carried out in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions.

Ogunlende urged young people to respect one another regardless of age or gender, stressing that “no means no.”

He said the state’s Boy-Child Initiative and the designation of May 16 as a day to celebrate the boy child were part of efforts to engage young males and encourage them to speak up when confronted with abuse or other harmful situations.

The Executive Secretary of DSVA, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, said the national convening was designed to enable states to learn from one another and strengthen referrals for survivors across the country.

She said Lagos was not claiming perfection but had developed models that could be shared with other states, while also learning from interventions that had worked elsewhere.

Vivour-Adeniyi said the new policy was intended to bring together the various prevention initiatives of the state under one coordinated framework.

She explained that, unlike the policy launched previously to address technology-facilitated sexual and gender-based violence, including cyberbullying, doxing and sextortion, the new policy provides a broader framework covering prevention across different forms of GBV, including those facilitated by technology.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, represented at the event, also called for stronger coordination among institutions involved in GBV response.

He noted that survivors often have to navigate the police, hospitals, sexual assault referral centres, social welfare agencies, shelters and courts, warning that gaps between these institutions could undermine access to justice.

He urged states to strengthen their GBV coordination structures, establish functional referral pathways and ensure timely reporting of cases to the National GBV Dashboard.

The national convening forms part of Lagos’ broader 2026 Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month activities, with the DSVA continuing to promote prevention, survivor support and coordinated responses across the state.