DSVA empowers 104 high-risk survivors of gender-based violence

Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) has empowered 104 high-risk survivors of Sexual and Gender-based Violence under its business grant programme, in line with the state government’s commitment to providing a holistic response to survivors.

Delivering a keynote address at the event held in Ikeja, the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Titilayo Shitta-Bey encouraged the beneficiaries to be crusaders for positive societal impacts while ensuring growth in their various businesses.

Shitta-Bey, represented by the Director of Citizens Rights, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Adetutu Oshinusi, said that training the beneficiaries would further motivate other survivors to speak out and receive the needed assistance that the agency and its partners could offer in the quest to tackle incidents of Sexual and Gender-based Violence in the state.

She added that the empowerment programme was therefore conceived to serve as a pathway to new beginnings for survivors and also rebuild their self-esteem on their road to healing.

In her address, the Executive Secretary of the DSVA, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, reiterated that the programme was another laudable initiative of the state government, which has taken practical steps to provide a support system for survivors of domestic and sexual violence in the state.

She stressed that statistics have proven that one of the major reasons why survivors remain in abusive relationships is because of financial dependence on their abuser. This, therefore, makes the provision of financial support most compelling.

Vivour-Adeniyi said the programme, organised in partnership with SME 100 Africa, was aimed at empowering domestic violence survivors to be economically viable and contribute financially to the development of their homes and the state at large.