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From Judex Okoro, Calabar
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the management of the university of Calabar have concluded arrangements to partner on gender based violence within the institution.
The Programme Director ISMPH-UNESCO Spotlight Initiative, Solomon Dogo, who disclosed this at a rally to mark this year’s International Youth Day held in Calabar with theme, “Green Skills for youths,” said they are working with the institution to end the menace.
Giving details about it, he said a manual has been developed for the institution and would join other institutions across the country where such partnership exists.
He said: “Today is the International Youth Day and we have organised a rally with students of the University of Calabar to see how we can end Gender Based Violence through awareness creation
“Before now, we have developed a gender response manual which was shared with the University of Calabar management and the student union government as well have given us commitment that the gender based violence manual will be used as a curriculum within the school.
“The spotlight Initiative Project is being implemented in six states. In the first phase we have implemented it in University of Lagos, University of Sokoto and the University of Abuja. In the second phase, we will be implementing it in Ebonyi state university, University of Calabar and the American International University, Yola.”
Explaining that Calabar falls within the states the project, Dogo said the spotlight Initiative is trying to address the issue of gender based violence across other campuses to ensure that gender based violence ends within the country.
The Programme Director stated that the students will be going out to the larger society and it is better they end it now while they are still on campus than when they go out, adding that once students have in mind that gender based- violence is not good then they would go into the larger society and become better citizens.
Also speaking, the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Florence Obi, who was represented by Grace Ibor, deputy director, office of sustainable fund management and alumni relations, said the institution has provided opportunities for youths to access international activities to learn skills and support the sustainable development goals.
Ibor, who disclosed that the University of Calabar prioritises issues of youths because we have 45,000 youths in our community, said the institution is working with the directorate of general studies, academic planning and directorate of gender to infuse it into the curriculum to ensure it is properly mainstreamed.
