Ayoola Babalola
The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency has launched the Smart Teens Advocacy Initiative to equip adolescents with the knowledge and confidence to recognise, prevent and report sexual and gender-based violence.
The initiative, which was launched last week, according to a statement signed by the public affairs officer of the agency, Opebere Onadipe, and obtained by The PUNCH on Sunday, brought together 320 students from schools across Education District I under the theme, “Stay Safe, Speak Up,” on the premises of Girls Senior High School, Agege.
According to the organisers, the programme was designed to promote personal safety, healthy boundaries, peer advocacy and the need for young people to speak out against abuse.
In her welcome address, the Executive Secretary of the DSVA, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, emphasised the need to empower young people to protect themselves and support others facing abuse.
Vivour-Adeniyi said the initiative would encourage students to challenge harmful attitudes, promote respect and report abuse without fear of blame or intimidation.
She also called on parents, teachers, caregivers and relevant institutions to ensure that children were heard, supported and protected.
The Head of the Counselling Unit, Education District I, Dr Rosanwo, in a goodwill message, commended the initiative and urged the students to participate actively and apply the lessons from the programme to their daily lives.
She stressed the importance of creating safe school environments where students could confidently seek guidance and report concerns.
Delivering the keynote address, titled “Stay Safe and Speak Up,” the State Coordinator of the Child Protection Network, Aderonke Oyelakin, highlighted the importance of recognising unsafe situations, setting personal boundaries, making informed decisions and staying safe online.
Oyelakin urged the students to report abuse to trusted adults and appropriate authorities, stressing the need for young people to know how to respond when confronted with unsafe situations.
The programme also featured a session titled “Breaking the Silence in Our Schools: Preventing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Through Teen Advocacy,” facilitated by a resource person simply identified as Mrs Bunmi.
The session focused on recognising physical, sexual and emotional abuse, as well as technology-facilitated abuse, and encouraged the students to challenge bullying, harassment, peer pressure and other harmful behaviours.
The students were also taught how to support peers who disclose abuse by listening without judgment, avoiding victim-blaming and helping them access appropriate support.
Such support, the agency said, could be obtained through trusted adults, school counsellors, teachers, parents and relevant authorities.
The launch of the Smart Teens Advocacy Initiative booklet at the event further reinforced the agency’s emphasis on moving beyond awareness to practical action.
The booklet is intended to help young people understand their rights, identify where they can seek help and develop the confidence to speak up when they experience or witness abuse.
The DSVA said the initiative formed part of its broader efforts to strengthen public enlightenment, child protection and the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence across Lagos State.
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