The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, DSVA, says 35 percent of survivors who reported domestic violence experienced the abuse within the first five years of marriage.
The Executive Secretary of the agency, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, disclosed this at a media parley marking the beginning of the 2026 Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month.
Representing the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Lawal Pedro, SAN, she said 30 percent of women who reported domestic violence were pregnant when the abuse occurred.
She added that seven percent of reports came from people who had been married for more than ten years.
Vivour-Adeniyi said financial dependence, concerns about children and societal pressure were among factors that could make victims delay reporting abuse.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions, Adebayo Haroun, warned that forcing a wife to have sex against her will can attract criminal prosecution.
He said such conduct may be prosecuted as sexual assault by penetration, an offence that carries life imprisonment.
The DSVA says it is strengthening prevention by training marriage registrars, religious marriage counsellors and customary court officials to identify warning signs early and promote healthier relationships.
The agency also says more than 466 religious marriage counsellors have completed its Lagos State Religious Premarital Counselling Online Course.
Between September 2021 and July 2026, the DSVA received 33,009 domestic and sexual violence-related cases, including 13,515 cases of domestic violence.
The 2026 awareness campaign is themed “SGBV — It Ends With Us.”
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