LAGOS TASKFORCE HANDLES 54 CHILD PROTECTION CASES IN ONE YEAR – DSVA
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
The Lagos State Taskforce on Safeguarding and Child Protection has handled 54 safeguarding and child protection incidents within the past year, the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) has revealed.
The agency’s Executive Secretary, Mrs. Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, disclosed this on Friday in Ikeja during an Engagement of Social Studies and Science Teachers on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).
The joint task force, she explained, was established to enforce the Executive Order on Safeguarding and Child Protection in Lagos schools and communities.
Members of the task force include representatives from the Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA), Ministry of Education, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Lagos State Safety Commission, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Child Protection Network, and the DSVA.
Vivour-Adeniyi said the agency had handled cases involving violators who were strangers, teachers, neighbours, friends, and even parents, stressing that the prevalence of such incidents reflected the urgent need for vigilance and empathy.
“If the home is the first place where a child should feel safe, and the school is the second, then teachers are the guardians of that second safe space,” she said.
She noted that the engagement aimed to equip teachers with the skills to identify early warning signs of abuse, respond appropriately to student disclosures, and strengthen referral links between schools and DSVA’s psychosocial and legal support services.
Vivour-Adeniyi described teachers as custodians of future citizens, emphasizing that classrooms should serve as the “first court of justice,” where empathy, fairness, and respect are instilled.
“When a teacher listens without judgment, reports without delay, and educates without fear, lives will be saved,” she added.
Also speaking, Mrs. Modupeola Sahid-Adebambo, Chairperson of the Nigeria Association of Social Workers (NASoW), Lagos Chapter, said child protection is everyone’s responsibility, urging all members of the school community to report any signs of abuse.
In the same vein, Mr. Jubril Yakubu, Director of Human Integration, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, advised teachers to handle disclosures of abuse with sensitivity and professionalism, ensuring confidentiality and timely reporting.
“Let the child know they’ve done the right thing by speaking up. Listen calmly, avoid judgment, document properly, and report immediately,” Yakubu said.
The engagement, according to the DSVA, forms part of the Sanwo-Olu administration’s broader vision to create a safer, more inclusive Lagos where every child can learn, grow, and thrive without fear.
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