LAGOS TRAINS MEDICAL DOCTORS, MEDICAL SOCIAL WORKERS ON DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT

PRESS RELEASE

LAGOS TRAINS MEDICAL DOCTORS, MEDICAL SOCIAL WORKERS ON DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT

The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, in partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of Health
@LSMOH
and the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board
@LagosPHCB
, is strengthening the health sector’s response to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) through specialised training for Medical Social Workers and Medical Doctors.

The trainings, held at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), included a one-day session for 50 Medical Social Workers on Thursday, 3rd September, and a two-day training for Medical Doctors on Wednesday, 9th and Thursday, 10th September 2026.

The Medical Social Workers training focused on strengthening participants’ capacity to provide appropriate psychosocial support to survivors, with emphasis on active listening, empathy and survivor-centred care. As often the first point of contact within the health system, Medical Social Workers play a critical role in ensuring survivors receive compassionate and appropriate support.

Building on this, the two-day training for Medical Doctors focused on the prevention and management of sexual assault, covering topics including survivors’ rights, cultural considerations, mandatory reporting, rape kit use, case documentation, clinical management, history-taking, informed consent, medical examination and reporting, treatment, referral coordination, forensic evidence collection, DNA evidence and medico-legal considerations.

The sessions were facilitated by experienced professionals, including Dr. Veronica Iwayemi, Mrs. Oluwatumininu Oni, Head of Case Management at DSVA, Dr. Oluwajimi Sodipo, Consultant Family Physician, and Mrs. Avril Eyewu-Edero, Forensics Investigation Expert.

Declaring the training open, Executive Secretary, DSVA, Mrs. Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to equipping healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills required to respond to survivors with competence, compassion and sensitivity.

The trainings were designed as interactive, hands-on sessions, using case scenarios, practical demonstrations and structured discussions to bridge the gap between policy and the realities of survivor care.

Through these interventions, the Lagos State Government continues to strengthen every link in the survivor care chain, from psychosocial support to clinical and forensic response.

E-signed,
Onadipe Opebere
Head, Public Affairs Unit
Lagos DSVA
11/09/2026

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