Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) has said that at least 80 per cent of domestic and sexual violence survivors in the state solemnised their unions through religious ceremonies, either in churches or through Islamic Nikah.

Executive Secretary of the agency, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, stated this yesterday, during the launch of a religious pre-marital counselling online course aimed at strengthening families and preventing domestic violence in Lagos State.

She noted that this data highlights that faith institutions are uniquely positioned to prevent domestic violence before marriages even begin.

According to her, in Nigeria, marriage preparation often begins not in government institutions, but within faith communities, adding that pastors, imams, and religious marriage counsellors are often the first point of guidance for intending couples.

Vivour-Adeniyi further stated that they provide pre-marital counselling, offer spiritual guidance, mediate in conflicts and provide advice when marriages experience challenges.

“Because of this trusted position, religious leaders hold extraordinary influence in shaping how couples understand communication, respect, conflict resolution, gender roles and marital expectations.

“However, research and field experience have shown that traditional counselling approaches sometimes lack structured frameworks for identifying relationship risk factors, particularly those linked to domestic violence,” she said.

She stated that religious institutions often serve as trusted spaces where victims seek advice or help, which makes it critical that religious counsellors are equipped with the knowledge, tools, and awareness to respond responsibly and effectively.

“In response to this need, the Lagos State government — through the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency — has developed the Religious Pre-Marital Counselling Online Course.

“This initiative builds upon the standardised pre-marital counselling curriculum already introduced for marriage registrars across Lagos State. The new course specifically targets religious marriage counsellors, enabling them to deliver holistic, informed and responsible counselling that integrates faith-based guidance, psychological insights, relationship science, legal awareness and domestic violence prevention frameworks.

“The course represents a powerful bridge between spiritual wisdom and practical relationship skills. The course, accessible via safeguardingfamilies.org.ng, contains 10 carefully designed modules delivered by leading experts in family life education, psychology, and marriage administration,” she added.

The executive secretary, who listed the modules to include foundations and meaning of marriage, the science of connection, safety, protection and ethics in marriage, further said that the programme adopts a flexible, practical and interactive approach, including self-paced digital learning modules, real-life counselling case studies, quizzes and reflection exercises and certification upon completion.