In furtherance of the KINGS CLUB initiative, the Lagos State Deputy Governor ,Dr Obafemi Hamzat ,has inaugurated the club created by the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) to re-orient and educate young male students in secondary schools around the six (6) education districts in Lagos State with the aim of debunking socio-cultural misconceptions, promote positive masculinity, and bring about positive behavioral changes.
Speaking at the ceremony held at the Oregun Senior High Schoo Kudirat Abiola Way, Ikeja, Lagos,the Deputy Governor of the State, ably represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education,Mr Abayomi Abolaji commended the efforts made by the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, Mrs. Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi and all stakeholders in the campaign to stem the rising incidence of domestic and gender-based violence, particularly as it affects children, youths with innocent and impressionable minds. He added that “Our administration will continue to develop and implement strategies and initiatives that will protect and enhance the quality of all in Lagos State”.
He urged the young students to speak up and report to the nearest authority in the case of acts of inappropriate behaviour, bullying or body shaming among others even as he assured of necessary support to victims, “Violence is not gender specific. It affects everybody, either in the classroom or the playground,” the deputy Governor stated.
The Honourable Attorney General of Lagos State, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN) ably represented by Mr. Saheed Quadri (Director of the Directorate of Advisory Services,Ministry of Justice) stressed that the Kings Club project will engender a sustainable social structure in educational institutions that will help debunk sociocultural misconceptions and promote positive masculinity and bring about behavioral and attitudinal change in the minds of young boys in Lagos State.
Onigbanjo further advised the participants to avoid being perpetrators of sexual and gender-based offences. He made reference to the data which indicates that, one in every eight boys would have suffered at least one violent interaction before the age of 18, and 61% of the affected boys do not know where to seek help. He added that boys who grow up having experienced abuse commit a vast majority of sexual and gender-based violence offences. While addressing the 161 inductees from the education districts, the Mrs. Titilola Vivour – Adeniyi, the Executive Secretary of DSVA stated that the only method to confront this “shadow epidemic” of societal violence perpetrated primarily and mostly by male population is to “catch them young” by embarking on a timely intervention titled: ‘The Kings Club:Promoting Positive Masculinity’
