Stephen Enoch
The Center for Awareness on Justice and Accountability (CAJA) has called on President Bola Tinubu to sign the Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Institutions Prohibition Bill into law.
The call was made in a stakeholders dialogue forum on curbing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) on Saturday at Tahir Guest Palace in Kano.
The event was part of its activities to commemorate the 16 days of activism against GBV with the theme; “Invest to Prevent Violence against Women & Girls.”
The Executive Director of CAJA, Kabiru Dakata said the Center’s plea for the President to sign the bill into law is in line with the goals of 16 Days of Activism Against GBV.
He noted that the prevalence of GBV in higher institutions has become alarming and to that end, signing the bill into law will ameliorate the cases of GBV in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions.
Dakata pointed out that the reason why the incidence of GBV keeps prevailing in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions is that there are no policies in place to address it.
He added that cases of GBV in tertiary institutions are not effectively managed, which breeds a culture of silence among survivors.
“We appreciate the efforts of stakeholders who ensured that the bill was passed at the level of the Senate and House of Representatives.
“The bill is now before the President and all we are seeking for is his assent to the bill and we believe that he will sign the bill to become a law so that the issues of SGBV will be reduced to the least,” Dakata added.
“Break the Culture of Silence” – Advocates
Dr Hafsat Yakassai, a lecturer in the Department of Public Administration, at Bayero University, Kano urged survivors of GBV to speak up when they are harassed, as keeping silent only worsens their situation.
She stated that perpetrators of GBV could be males or females and speaking out against any slight form of harassment is the best way to fight back.
She added: “So many students, especially females are in fear of reporting those who harass them because of the anxiety of what the perpetrators might do but I urge them to report their oppressors to the rightful authorities.
“If they feel uncomfortable with reporting to officials in the school environment, they can report to Civil Society Organizations like CAJA who would take their matter up and ensure that justice is delivered to them.
“I also urge President Tinubu to sign the Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Institutions Prohibition Bill into law because it has better mechanisms where GBV survivors can report easily and reduce the prevalence of SGBV in Tertiary institutions,” Dr Yakassai urged.
Zuwaira Omar, a Human Rights Activist at the Resource Center for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) believes that perpetrators of SGBV will not relent until they are exposed.
She explained that many girls are being molested in Tertiary Institutions and most of the cases which are said to be treated within the walls of the university do not deliver justice to the survivors of GBV.
“I call on all survivors of GBV either males or females to speak out and save our tertiary institutions from the menace of GBV.
“The only way this can happen effectively is by the President assenting to the Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Institutions Prohibition Bill and with that, our tertiary institutions will be saved from the prevalence of SGBV,” Ms Omar said.
