The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development in Ogun State, Adijat Adeleye, has revealed that 502 cases of Gender-Based Violence, GBV, was recorded in the year 2025.
Adeleye stated that the cases, spanning sexual assault, domestic abuse, child molestation, digital harassment and intimate partner violence, underscored the urgent need for far stronger legal safeguards and coordinated institutional action from all stakeholders to protect survivors and hold perpetrators accountable.
The commissioner, who spoke in an interview shortly after an advocacy walk held in commemoration of the year’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence in Abeokuta on Tuesday, described the rising figure as alarming and an indicative of a deepening crisis affecting women, girls, and vulnerable persons.
Adeleye disclosed that of the 502 cases, 120 were reported at the State’s Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs), while the remaining cases were documented through area offices and partner organisations.
According to her, the figures captured only the portion of cases that reached government channels, arguing that many women and children still remain silent out of fear, stigma, or social pressure.
Adeleye asserted that the spike in digital-related abuse, including cyberbullying, online harassment, sextortion and impersonation, was emerging as a major concern for the State in the digital age.
Speaking on the year’s theme, “Unite to End Digital Violence Against Women and Girls,” she warned that technology has created a new frontier for abuse, allowing perpetrators to target victims remotely and anonymously, explaining that the growing digital exposure of young people had left many vulnerable to online grooming, extortion and emotional manipulation.
The commissioner highlighted several interventions of the present administration by the Ministry in partnership with the State Economic Transformation Project, United Nations Population Funds, UNFPA, to include strengthening the Sexual Assaults Referrals Centres (SARCs), expanding temporary shelters, and intensive capacity-building for law enforcement officers, teachers, health workers and social workers on digital safety and GBV response.
She further noted that the Ministry expanded state-wide sensitisation programmes in both rural and urban communities, engaging traditional institutions, religious bodies and schools to dismantle cultural practices that normalise violence, in addition to Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), which was also strengthened to assist young people understand personal safety, consent and digital responsibility.
Adeleye identified major institutional challenges undermining progress to include: slow judicial processes, family interference, underfunded survivor services and weak inter-agency coordination among others, citing a recent defilement case of two minors where, despite evidence and medical reports, the perpetrator has not been apprehended, describing it as “a painful reminder of systemic lapses.”
The Commissioner advocated for bold legal reforms to better support survivors, safe termination options for rape and incest survivors and pressed for rape to be formally classified as a non-bailable offence, arguing that granting bail often exposes survivors to intimidation and derails investigations.
Meanwhile, she urged parents, teachers, digital platforms and community leaders to take greater responsibility for safeguarding children and addressing online risks, while encouraging the male folks to act as allies in challenging harmful norms and supporting a violence-free society, noting that GBV prevention requires collective effort.
