As part of effort of the Lagos State Government to come to the aid of women suffering abuse, the state will soon launch a shelter for abused women before the end of the year.
The Lagos State Commissioner of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Bolaji Dada disclosed this at the 21st WIMBIZ Annual Conference, themed ‘Firing Forward: The Future in Focus’, where she was a panellist.
The commissioner said the shelter would be located in Agidingbi, adding that it would also house a skill acquisition centre so the women could learn different skills to fend for themselves.
She also said the ministry in the state had an active help desk that women, who were suffering abuse, could reach any day and at any time. The toll line is 767.
“A shelter for abused women will be launched soon in Agidingbi with also a skill acquisition centre.
“We have a department for abused women in the commission and there is an active help desk, with toll line, 767. They will pick up calls any time of the day and they will direct these women on what to do.
“Sensitisation is ongoing and the agency saddled with the responsibility of attending to this is the Domestic Violence Response Agency.
“A shelter for abused women is currently under construction in Agidingbi and it would be completed soon, we should launch this year.
“We have noticed that when women who suffer abuse decide to leave their abusers, many of them do not know where to go and are afraid to leave because the men are most times the breadwinners, so with a skill acquisition centre, the will be able to learn something to fend for themselves going forward,” she said.
Dada spoke alongside four other women in the fourth plenary session; President, NECA Network of Entrepreneurial Women, Funmilayo Arowoogun; UN Women’s representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Eyong; Meridian Maskara and Executive Secretary of MTN Nigeria Foundation, Oludayo Sanya, who moderated the session.
