Lagos attorney-general calls for wider action against gender violence

Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Lawal Pedro has called on government bodies, families, professionals, community leaders and institutions to take responsibility for preventing gender-based violence and supporting survivors. Pedro, represented by the ministry’s Director of Advisory Services and Judicial Liaison, Folashade Anibaba-Bossman, spoke at the 2026 Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month Commendation and Award Night. The event recognised individuals and institutions involved in the state’s response to gender-based violence.

He said the purple campaign and related awareness activities might end with the month, but the responsibility to prevent abuse must continue. Pedro said effective action was required from law-enforcement officers, healthcare workers, teachers, parents, religious leaders and members of the public. He cited the possible roles of different professionals in protecting survivors and preventing further harm.

A police officer receiving a frightened survivor, a doctor identifying signs of abuse, a prosecutor pursuing a difficult case or a teacher noticing a sudden change in a child could each play a decisive part, he said. Pedro also urged families and communities to challenge abusive behaviour. He said parents should teach boys that strength did not mean control, while friends and bystanders should be prepared to intervene when they encounter abuse.

According to the commissioner, Lagos had spent the year engaging communities, markets, schools, workplaces, professionals, survivors, law-enforcement officers and young people. The state had also strengthened stakeholder discussions, supported professional capacity building, hosted a national meeting of state gender-based-violence coordinators and advanced legal and institutional measures. The awards recognised lawyers, prosecutors, police officers, healthcare professionals, social workers, psychologists, civil society organisations and other frontline responders.

Pedro said their work was often difficult and emotionally exhausting, but that every survivor supported, child protected, case secured or incident prevented represented an important intervention. He said sustained political will and institutional investment were needed to make citizens’ safety and dignity a fundamental government responsibility. Pedro urged stakeholders to strengthen partnerships and build communities that would no longer tolerate violence, saying the campaign’s conclusion should not mark the end of awareness.