The Lagos State Taskforce on Safeguarding and Child Protection says it handled 54 safeguarding and child protection incidents in one year.
Mrs Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), made this known at an event on Friday in Ikeja.
The event was an Engagement of Social Studies and Science Teachers on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).
The joint task force is responsible for implementing the Executive Order on safeguarding and child protection.
The members of the Joint Task Force comprise top-level representatives of the Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA) and the Ministry of Education.
Other members include the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, the Lagos State Safety Commission, the State Universal Basic Education Board, the Child Protection Network, and the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA).
Vivour-Adeniyi said that the task force had handled cases where the violator was a stranger, and others where the violator was a father, a teacher, a neighbour, or a trusted friend.
She said that such realities reminded us that SGBV was not a distant social problem, but a daily test of collective humanity.
According to her, if the home is the first place where a child should feel safe, and the school is the second, then the teachers are the guardians of that second safe space.
“Today, we meet not just as professionals fulfilling a civic duty, but as custodians of the minds and hearts that will define Nigeria’s tomorrow.
“Every society is built twice — first in the imagination of its teachers, and then in the actions of its citizens.
“You, our social studies teachers, sit at that sacred intersection where knowledge meets character, where information becomes transformation.
“When you teach about society, you are not just explaining laws or customs; you are shaping the values that determine whether a child grows up to respect or violate another person’s dignity.
“So, your classroom becomes the first court of justice, where fairness, empathy and equality must take root before they are ever tested in the real world,” she said.
The executive secretary said that the engagement was part of the agency’s broader commitment to build a safer, more inclusive Lagos, where every child could thrive without fear.
She said the engagement was to equip teachers with knowledge of identifying early warning signs of abuse and to empower them to handle student disclosures with sensitivity and professionalism.
Vivour-Adeniyi said that it was to strengthen the referral linkage between schools and DSVA’s psychosocial and legal support services.
She said that it was to inspire a generation of educators, who taught not only civics but civility; not only rules but respect.
According to her, when a teacher listens without judgment, reports without delay, and educates without fear, lives will be saved.
Vivour-Adeniyi urged teachers to think a moment about their classrooms, because among the pupils might be a child too afraid to speak about the bruises at home.
“There might be a student who thinks silence is strength because no adult has ever told them otherwise.
“You have the power to change that story — with one conversation, one lesson, one moment of courage.
“Our children are watching how we respond. When we normalise respect, when we model accountability, when we teach empathy — we are building not just educated minds but safe communities.
“Let this engagement mark a new chapter — where teachers become advocates, classrooms become sanctuaries, and education becomes the most powerful weapon against violence.
“Together, let us raise a generation that not only says ”No to SGBV”, but understands why, because every human being, boy or girl, man or woman, deserves safety, dignity and respect,” she said.
Also speaking, Mrs Modupeola Sahid-Adebambo, Chairperson, Nigeria Association of Social Workers (NASoW), Lagos State Chapter, said that child protection was everyone’s business.
Sahid-Adebambo said that society as a whole shared a responsibility to protect children’s safety and well-being.
She said that any member of the school community could make a report to Child Protection if they had significant concerns (s) for the well-being of a child.
Also, Mr Jubril Yakubu, Director, Human Integration, Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, urged teachers to handle disclosures of abuse properly.
Yakubu urged them to listen calmly, avoid expressing their own views, ensure the confidentiality of individual reporting, and reassure the child that it was not his or her fault.
“Let the child know that he/she has done the right thing by reporting, show care, give full attention, help the survivor to open up and keep your time and language open and encouraging.
“Respect, pause, don’t interrupt or interject, let the survivor go at his or her own pace, avoid promising secrets, ensure proper documentation and report immediately.
“Ensure that justice is served and follow up the plan by informing the appropriate quarters,” he said.
The post Lagos taskforce handles 54 safeguarding, child protection cases in one year appeared first on Vanguard News.
