No fewer than three thousand and eighty-nine cases of sexual and domestic violence have been reported in Lagos state in the past eight months.

According to Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team, the figure was over two hundred per cent increase compared to last year figure of one thousand and forty-four.

Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Adeniji Kazeem, said this commemoration of this year’s Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month; themed: “Securing the Home against Violence: Everyone’s Responsibility.”

Kazeem who is the Chairman of the team said seven people were convicted during the period under review.

According to him, from January till August, the Team handled one thousand and thirty-seven cases in the office: nine hundred and thirty-nine Domestic Violence cases, two hundred and forty-five Child Abuse, forty defilement cases, twenty-two rape cases, thirteen cases of attempt to commit Rape and Sexual Assault by penetration.

He also said ten sexual assault by penetration and forty-eight other cases were also recorded, saying they had started to see an average of one hundred and fifty new cases monthly.

Kazeem said there had also been reported cases through the 6820 USSD platform, which was commissioned last year, to facilitate the swift reporting of incidents of Domestic Violence, Sexual Violence and Child Abuse, saying from January till date, DSVRT received two thousand and fifty-two reports via the six thousand eight hundred and twenty short-code.

He said a total of 718 actual cases were reported. Hence, DSVRT has responded to 357 reports of domestic violence, 195 reports of Sexual Abuse and 166 reports of child abuse, all reported via the 6,820 platform.

Kazeem said the team had also given a stronger focus on children who had witnessed intimate partner violence in 2018, saying a total of 1,187 children have been exposed to domestic violence within the home.

The attorney-general said the trends from the data revealed a steady increase in men coming forward to report cases of domestic violence.

He said the Lagos Public Interest Law Partnership provided free legal assistance to 52 of the survivors of the Domestic Violence, ranging from judicial separation, divorce, custody of children, mediation and settlement.

Kazeem who spoke through Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Funmilola Odunlami, said government had dedicated every month of September to boosting the campaign against sexual violence-related activities and abuse in homes.