The Initiative to Resist Institutional Slavery Exploitation (IRISE) has urged the Lagos State Government to relaunch the Guidelines on Safe Termination of Pregnancy for Legal Indications, which were suspended in 2022 following public misunderstanding.

The group said reinstating the guidelines would provide a legitimate framework for service providers, including media practitioners and lawyers.

IRISE made the call through its Executive Director, Mrs Omodele Ebitoye Ejeh, during a two-day training in Lagos themed “Rights-based, Evidence-driven Reporting in SRHR: From Data to Impact.” The training brought together media professionals and policymakers to examine reporting on sexual and reproductive health issues and promote a shift away from blaming survivors of rape towards holding perpetrators accountable.

Ejeh explained that, contrary to public perception, the guidelines were not designed to promote abortion but to help service providers protect women and girls from dying due to unsafe procedures.

She also urged the government to include provisions addressing rape and incest, noting that both are significant factors behind unsafe abortions, particularly where survivors fear speaking out.

“The STOP guideline was launched by the Lagos State Government in 2022 to guide service providers on protecting the lives of women and girls,” she said.

“However, due to a misunderstanding, the guideline was attacked and withdrawn about two weeks later. We are asking that it be relaunched so that media practitioners and other stakeholders can have a legitimate framework to work with.

“We are engaging communities, policymakers and media practitioners to clarify what the guidelines actually contain. They are not laws promoting abortion but guidance aimed at preventing deaths from unsafe abortions.”

IRISE also called on media organisations, policymakers and community leaders to work together to protect women and girls from the dangers of unsafe abortion.

Coordinator of the African Women Lawyers Association Nigeria, Lagos State branch, Mrs Adesola Bello, urged Nigerians to stop blaming survivors of sexual violence and instead focus on holding perpetrators accountable.

She said the priority should be ensuring justice for survivors rather than judging them.

“Everybody feels the discussion is about morality,” she said. “But when society focuses on justice, perpetrators will think twice before committing such offences.”

Bello advised survivors to seek immediate medical attention and report cases to the nearest gender-based violence police unit so that suspects can be arrested and prosecuted. She also called on parents to be vigilant in protecting their children.

Blaming societal attitudes, she said: “Instead of focusing on what happened, society often focuses on the child — what she wore or how she behaved. We should be focusing on those who commit these acts.”

She commended the Lagos State Government for establishing laws to address domestic violence and urged other states to adopt similar measures.

Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for IRISE, Esther Udo, highlighted the importance of data, research and statistics in strengthening reporting on sexual and reproductive health issues.

According to her, journalists must rely on credible sources and verified information.

“When stories are published without facts, you can be sued. If you are unsure of the source, hold the story until it is verified. Sexual and reproductive health rights involve real people behind the data,” she said.

She also lamented the country’s weak data systems, noting that “stories without data are just opinions, while data strengthens credibility and advocacy impact.”

Another facilitator, Tijan Israel, urged parents to adapt their parenting approaches to changing realities, noting that the current generation faces different challenges.

“The way we were raised is not the same way we should raise our children today. It is a different ball game,” he said.

He recalled visiting a school to train students on responsible internet use and being surprised that many of them already owned mobile phones.