The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), in collaboration with the Ford Foundation, has inducted 300 students from Education District V into the Kings and Queens Club — a peer-led initiative aimed at combating Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) across schools in the state.
Speaking at the induction ceremony, the Executive Secretary of DSVA, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, represented by Programme Officer Zainab Alaka, said the initiative is designed to embed a sustainable social change framework within the education system.
“We are equipping students with knowledge and tools to dismantle harmful socio-cultural norms, challenge gender inequality, and promote empowered femininity and healthy masculinity,” she stated.
The clubs, made up of boys and girls trained as peer educators, are expected to lead advocacy efforts and promote safe spaces within their schools and communities. Vivour-Adeniyi stressed the urgency of the initiative, stating that “children are increasingly among the statistics of abuse victims, often preyed upon by pedophiles and abusers.
”The Head of Community Engagement and Project Coordinator of the Kings and Queens Club, Damilare Adewusi, emphasized that the programme reflects Lagos State’s zero-tolerance stance on all forms of sexual and gender-based violence.
“These students are now ambassadors and change agents. They are trained to speak out, educate peers, and lead the fight against GBV,” he added.
Commending the initiative, Linda Orji, a teacher from Ansar-Ud-Deen Society Senior Grammar School, Badagry, said the programme would have a lasting impact by addressing the root causes of abuse through early education and value re-orientation.
Students like Ayomide Amoo of Araromi Ilogbo Secondary School, Oko-Afo, and Efe Heaven of Ajara Senior Grammar School, Badagry, shared personal testimonies on how the club has reshaped their understanding of gender relations and inspired them to take action.
Following their pledge of allegiance, the students were presented with certificates and ID cards as a symbol of their new roles. To date, over 7,300 students have been inducted into the Kings and Queens Clubs across Lagos — a strategic step in the broader agenda to institutionalize prevention, empower youth, and break the culture of silence that fuels gender-based violence.
