The fight against domestic and sexual violence, especially against girl child in the country, has been intensified by AXA Mansard and the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA).
The insurance firm is partnering with the state government to raise awareness and increase education about the menace, which is gradually becoming prominent in society.
The collaboration is coming ahead of the 2025 AXA Week for Good, which will feature a range of activities from both entities. The Lagos DSVA will be providing technical and expert support in leading employee training, public awareness and guiding the various school activations which will be carried out by employee volunteers of AXA Mansard.
The event is the flagship programme of the company’s employee volunteering programme; AXA Hearts in Action, under which AXA Mansard employees volunteered more than 20,000 hours in 2024.
This edition of AXA Week for Good themed Being a Girl Shouldn’t be A Risk is focused on beaming the light on the impact of sexual and domestic violence on the girl child.
The 2014 National Survey on Violence Against Children in Nigeria revealed that 25 per cent of girls in Nigeria experience sexual violence before they turn 18 and 15 per cent of girls who experienced physically forced or coerced sex before age 18 became pregnant.
“For us at AXA Mansard, our posture is that the future shouldn’t be at risk. And if we have to protect the future, then we must protect the children.
“So, building on our works against sexual and gender-based violence, we thought it fit to work with the DSVA during this edition of our annual global CSR week, AXA Week for Good.
“We note the remarkable works that DSVA is doing in combating domestic and sexual violence in Lagos and sees this partnership as an opportunity to let them know there work is appreciated, but more importantly is working with them around this shared interest to rid our society of violence,” the Head of Marketing at AXA Mansard Insurance, Mr Olusesan Ogunyooye, commented.
“What is even worrying is that these acts of violence happen to children in environment where they should feel safe such as school and homes; and the ripple effect of these is an increasing normalization of violence against children in the name of cultural norms,” he added.
Similarly, the Executive Secretary of DSVA, Mrs Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, said partnerships with the private sector, such as this are critical in amplifying the zero tolerance stance of the Lagos State Government against all forms of Sexual and Gender Based Violence.
She added that DSVA remains committed to providing expert guidance and resources to ensure that the initiatives under the AXA Week for Good create a meaningful impact and contribute to the broader goal of fostering a safer and more inclusive society for all.