Lagos State government through it’s Domestic and sexual Agency has reassured citizens of Lagos of speedy delivery and management of cases involving Gender-Based Violence in the State.
The assurance was given at the launch of the Case Conference Meeting and onboarding of relevant responder agencies of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Case Management System, DSVCMS. The session which had over 120 participants, had doctors and other health workers drawn from both the General Hospitals as well as the Primary Health Care Centres as we as officers of the Family Support Unit( Police Divisions)
Speaking at the launch of the case conferencing training, the Executive Secretary of Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, DSVA, Mrs.Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi explained that the need becomes imperative to upscale the way cases of Sexual and Gender Based Violence is being handled and managed manually.
Vivour-Adeniyi said the meeting was organised to infuse technology to fast track attention to cases and make swift necessary referrals to responder agencies, thereby optimizing the operational efficiency of the whole process.
She maintained that the era of responder agencies reporting cases through social media is gradually fading out as the State is embracing a structured approach in digitising case management in order to protect and ensure that the confidentiality of the process is not compromised.
She said “From the filling of complaint forms, to printing referral letters to other referral/responder agencies, to dispatching letters, following up of cases and other related manual processes. This therefore slows down the process of providing services, especially as Sexual and Gender Based Violence responders are duty bound to respond to incidents timeously.
Vivour said “The 2020 COVID Pandemic with all its challenges also presented an opportunity for service providers and the State to look inwardly, identify the lacunas in the system and re-strategize on ways to enhance our service delivery.”
“In view of the need to standardise our response mechanisms in Lagos State, the Joint EU-UN Spotlight initiative provided support to the Lagos State Government, through the development of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Unified Response Protocol and Referral Pathway Document which was ratified in 2021.”
“Part of the support was towards the development of a Case Management Mobile Application, which is both mobile (Android and IOS) and web portal and whilst we have since implemented the URPRP, the mobile application (DSVMCS) has been in the testing phase for the past one year.” she said
One of the resource persons at the conference, Dr. Abimbola Folami explained further on the components of the conference and how it is designed to achieve effective delivery of cases on Domestic and Sexual Violence in Lagos.
Folami, an Assistant Reproductive officer of the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board added that the whole idea is to reduce the cumbersome operational paperwork and ensure quick response to cases by the critical stakeholders.
According to her “It is a new electronic tool for capturing data for cases involving Sexual and Domestic Violence in Lagos State. The essence is to lessen the burden of paper work and also to ensure a faster response.
“The good thing about the system is that as soon as there is a case that is being reported because it encompasses everybody in the domestic and sexual violence team, we called it a unified response platform, there we have, Doctors, Police, Social workers, officers from Ministry of youth and social development among others.
“It prompts you to prepare yourself because the activities will allow you to know the patient history and data and prepare yourself towards necessary assistance to be rendered to the patient, basically the application fosters a unified and holistic care for a patient involving in the Domestic and Sexual based violence.”
While giving her goodwill message, the Reproductive Health Coordinator for Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Victoria Omoera also upheld the importance of adequate data being key to identify basic social economic factor and adequate information about a case will make its implementation seamless, faster, efficient and effective
Adopting electronic tools would allow for proper documentation and will assist responder agencies in the State to activate a response system that would better achieve this.
Some ot the participants commended the initiative and opined that it would allow for harmonisation of case management system especially in instances of Domestic and Sexual Violence in the State.
ADEJOKE LADENEGAN-OGINNI
LAGOS DSVA
17/10/2023
