The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) has trained 50 medical social workers and commenced a separate capacity-building programme for doctors and other healthcare workers on the prevention and management of sexual assault cases.

The programmes, organised in partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of Health and the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, are aimed at strengthening the ability of healthcare professionals to provide psychosocial, clinical and forensic support to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.

The one-day training for 50 medical social workers was held on September 3 at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Participants were drawn from healthcare facilities across the state.

According to the DSVA, the training focused on appropriate psychosocial support, with emphasis on active listening, empathy and survivor-centred care.

The agency said medical social workers often serve as an important point of contact for survivors when they enter the healthcare system, making their ability to respond appropriately an important part of the survivor-care process.

Following the social workers’ programme, the agency commenced a two-day training for medical doctors and other healthcare workers on September 9.

The programme, which concludes on September 10, focuses on both the practical and professional aspects of managing sexual assault cases.

The first day’s sessions covered the meaning and types of gender-based violence, the scale of sexual assault, the influence of cultural norms and beliefs on survivors, survivors’ rights, rape-kit procedures, and the recording and reporting of sexual and gender-based violence cases.

Participants also reviewed Lagos State’s existing structures and services for survivors, as well as its mandatory reporting policy.

The second day of the programme focuses on direct patient care, including history-taking, informed consent, general examination, genital anatomy, treatment, disease prevention and completion of medical reports.

Healthcare workers are also being trained on referral coordination and the preservation and collection of forensic evidence.

The forensic component includes DNA evidence collection, forensic screening and practical demonstrations on the use of rape kits. Medico-legal issues are also part of the programme.

The sessions are being facilitated by professionals including DSVA’s Head of Case Management, Oluwatumininu Oni, Consultant Family Physician Oluwajimi Sodipo and forensic investigation expert Avril Eyewu-Edero.

Declaring the programme open, DSVA Executive Secretary Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to equipping healthcare workers to respond to survivors with professionalism, skill and sensitivity.

The agency said the training is designed to go beyond theoretical discussions, using case scenarios and practical demonstrations to prepare participants for situations they may encounter when caring for survivors.

The initiative is also intended to improve coordination between different responders, linking psychosocial assistance provided by medical social workers with the clinical and forensic services provided by doctors and other healthcare professionals.

For survivors, the quality of the initial response can be critical to accessing appropriate medical and psychosocial support and, where applicable, preserving evidence that may assist subsequent legal proceedings.

The Lagos initiative therefore seeks to strengthen the response at the point where many survivors first encounter the formal healthcare system, while improving coordination across the wider support and justice chain.