By Victoria Okpanachi
As part of measures tailored towards creating a safer learning environment for female students,Kogi State Government has initiated moves to effectively tackle sexual harassment and other forms of gender based violence in tertiary institutions.
In line with this, the state government has expressed it’s readiness to apprehend and prosecute offenders through the introduction of technology designed to assist students report perpetrators of sexual harassment in the institutions.
Commissioner for Education, Honourable Wemi Jones, made this known while delivering a keynote address at a one day stakeholders meeting on state level adoption of the model Anti Sexual Harassment Policy in tertiary institutions held in Lokoja.
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The objective of the meeting he said is to facilitate state level participation and adoption of the model anti-sexual harassment policy while ensurng that heads of tertary institutions are englightened on campus safety initiative framework.
According him, this is a step down from the stakeholders engagement held at the federal level, stressing that whenever there was a policy at the federal level, Kogi has demonstrated it’s readiness to usually be one of the first states to domesticate such policy.
While assuring that government will not tolerate any form of sexual misconduct, which he labelled as a major criminal offence, he emphasised that the Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo led administration was determined to tackle the issue head-on by implementing measures to apprehend and prosecute offenders.
He expressed dismay that the issue of sexual harassment has become deeply ingrained in Nigerian society, and Kogi State was no exception.
“However, through collaborative efforts with the Federal Ministry of Education, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Gender Mobile Initiative (GMI), we aim to reduce and eventually eliminate sexual harassment, particularly in tertiary institutions where it is most prevalent.”
Also speaking at the event, the Learning Measurement and Evaluation Manager at Gender Mobile Initiative, Dr. Ernest Ogezi, while presenting his findings, disclosed that a recent study had put the number of students that have experienced sexual harassment at 69.8% but less than 10% have reported the incidents.
Dr. Ogezi described sexual harassment as any unwanted sexual behavior that violates an individual’s dignity, leading to intimidation, degradation, or humiliation, and creating a hostile environment.
He cited several factors contributing to the issue to include; poor implementation of existing policies, power dynamics, a culture of silence, and the lack of a comprehensive anti-sexual harassment law in Nigeria.
To address these problems, Ogezi recommended the establishment of a sexual harassment policy, the formation of prohibition committees, collaboration with stakeholders, and the provision of medical and psychosocial support for victims.
While speaking with The Graphic at the event, Dr. John Aliyu, Dean of Student Affairs at Kogi State Polytechnic, expressed his support for government’s efforts to combat sexual harassment. “I am glad the State Government is taking strong measures to address this issue,” he said.
Dr. Aliyu further emphasized that under the leadership of the Rector Professor Usman Ogbo, his school maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy on sexual harassment. And that the institution was “fully committed to ensuring a safe and respectful learning environment for all our students”.
The retreat brought together heads of tertiary institutions, educators, and students from across the State.
A key highlight of the event was the unveiling of the GMI App, a tool designed to allow students report sexual harassment cases. The app, which is available for download on Google Play and the iOS App Store, aims to streamline the reporting process and ensure that incidents are addressed promptly.
