Foundation empowers survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Lagos

By Benjamin Njoku

The Aunt Landa Bethel Foundation, led by Dr. Yolanda George-David (Aunt Landa), is working tirelessly to support survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Lagos State.

With over a decade of experience, the foundation provides critical services, including  urgent medical treatment, safe shelter, trauma counseling, and free legal representation.

According to her, the state and its residents cannot continue to ignore the cries of survivors or allow stigma to silence them.

As Lagos State observes Domestic & Sexual Violence Awareness Month, her call reflects both the urgency of the crisis and the relentless work her organisation has carried out for more than a decade.

Aunt Landa, founder of The Aunt Landa Bethel Foundation, has become one of the state’s most visible grassroots responders, offering round-the-clock rescue and rehabilitation services to survivors of abuse.

She noted that the Foundation’s 24/7 Sexual Abuse Rescue and Rehabilitation Programme provides urgent medical treatment, safe shelter, trauma counselling, and free legal representation to survivors. Over the years, she said, its team has rescued women, children and men from violent situations, helping them to rebuild their lives while pursuing justice against perpetrators.

“Rescue is just the beginning. Safety gives survivors breathing space, but rehabilitation through counselling, empowerment, and skills training gives them back their future,” she explains.

Beyond crisis response, she noted that the Foundation equips survivors with vocational skills ranging from tailoring to catering and digital training. By creating pathways to financial independence, Aunt Landa reduces survivors’ vulnerability to repeat abuse and helps them regain control of their lives.

The Foundation also provides the immediate, personal interventions that policies alone cannot deliver. Its grassroots presence ensures survivors hear zero tolerance messages and find practical, life-saving support when seeking help.

Aunt Landa emphasizes that silence and stigma are significant barriers to addressing domestic and sexual violence. She stresses that it’s everyone’s responsibility to act, from families and schools to faith institutions and workplaces, to protect and support survivors

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