Dec. 6, 2022

The Lagos State Government, through its Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) on Tuesday unveiled a digital application to tackle domestic, sexual and gender based violence cases.

Speaking during the unveiling of Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Case Management System (DSVCMS), the Executive Secretary, DSVA, Mrs. Titilola Viviour-Adeniyi, said that the platform would ensure that cases were managed optimally.

Viviour-Adeniyi said the COVID pandemic with all its challenges, also presented an opportunity for service providers and the state to look inwardly, identify the lacunas in the system and re-strategise on ways to enhance service delivery.

She said that in view of the need to standardise response mechanisms in Lagos State, the Joint EU-UN Spotlight initiative provided support to the Lagos State Government.

“The support was provided through the development of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Unified Response Protocol and Referral Pathway Document (the first of its kind in Nigeria), and was ratified in 2021,” she said.

She said that part of the support was toward the development of a Case Management Mobile Application, which was both mobile (Android and IOS) and web portal.

Viviour-Adeniyi said that at the moment, the handling and management of sexual and gender based violence cases, end to end, was done manually.

”From the filling of complaint forms, to printing referral letters to other referral/responder agencies, to dispatching letters, following up of cases, and other related manual processes.

”This slows down the process of providing services, especially as sexual and gender based violence responders are duty bound to respond to incidents timeously.

”By virtue of the DSVCMS, we would be able to attend to cases, make necessary referrals to responder agencies and manage cases digitally, thereby optimising our operational efficiency.

“In essence, DSVCMS digitalises management of cases, end to end, across the relevant responder agencies.

“At the touch of a button, relevant responder agencies are able to input details of cases and also update information of action taken.

“This information would be accessible to the entire ecosystem thereby increasing accountability and transparency,” she said.

Viviour-Adeniyi said that the app would enhance the ability to follow up on cases and ensure all relevant responder agencies, including the police, health care, social services and Non-Governmental Organisations were able to discharge their roles optimally.

She said that with the world fast evolving, there was the need to engage a technologically savvy system to report or manage cases, as other social media platforms may compromise confidentiality which remained sacred in responding to SGBV.

In his goodwill message, Mr. Yinka Akhibu from the UN Residents Coordinator Office, commended the Lagos State Government for actualising the digital platform to manage sexual and gender based violence.

Akhibu said that going digital was a new and more efficient way of working, the state should embrace it as the world was going digital.

Delivery a lecture on the Role of Stakeholders in Data Keeping, Mr Lawal Rasheed, a statistician in Lagos Bureau of Statistics, said that there was the need to manage data because it saves time. (NAN)