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From Felix Ikem, Nsukka
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof Charles Igwe, says that the institution has zero tolerance towards any form of sexual harassment and other social vices on the campus.
Prof Igwe said this in Nsukka on Thursday during the university’s first International Conference on Gender and Sexual Harassment, tagged “Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Institution: Gender Concerns and Transdisciplinary Approach in the SDGS Era.”
The Vice Chancellor said that his administration is relentless in creating and maintaining gender equality as well as a safe teaching and learning environment for all, stressing that the theme and message from the conference will be of value to the university community and society in general.
“Sexual harassment is a cankerworm that everyone should join hands to eliminate, my administration has zero tolerance for any form of sexual harassment on students, staff, and other social vices on the campus,
our target is to maintain a safe teaching and learning environment for all.
“We have gender and students friendly centres in the university that handles sexual harassment and other societal ills issues, the centres are also a place where students and staff can get counselling and share the challenges they are facing in the university.
“I encourage students and staff to take the opportunity of this centres and report any staff, student or lecturer who harasses them sexually, demand or extort money from them for marks,” he said.
The VC who was represented on the occasion by Prof Pat Okpoko, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Administration, however, warned students against inducing their lecturers or offering sex to them in exchange for marks.
Prof Anthonia Achike the director Gender and Development Policy Centre, UNN said that the conference aimed to discuss ways of reducing sexual harassment in tertiary Institutions, adding that the conference was using trans- methodology approach in which opinions from different areas, practices, and disciplines are gotten on how to solve the ugly trend.
The director decried low reporting of sexual harassment cases by victims which she attributes to fear of stigmatisation, victimisation, and doubt of getting justice.
“This is why there is low reporting of sexual harassment by victims because they believe that those who reported their case hardly get redress and oftentimes the preparators have gone unpunished,” she said.
The director expressed appreciation to the UNN Senate that recently approved a Sexual Harassment Policy which she noted would now make it easier to punish staff or students found guilty of sexual harassment.
“With this policy document, there is no hiding place again for perpetrators of sexual harassment in UNN.
“We commend the university Senate for this policy document which will go a long way in fighting and reducing this social ill called sexual harassment that has eaten deep into the fabric of the society,” he said.
Earlier, Dr Ikechukwu Erojikwe, the convener of the conference and the Director Campus-Campaign Against Sexual Harassment (C-CASH), an organisation of lecturers and students who are campaigning against Sexual Harassment on campus, said that the conference was organised by C-CASH in collaboration with Gender and Development Policy, UNN and supported by Alliance for Partnership Africa, Michigan State University, USA.
He said that the conference is a three universities collaborative project between Michigan State University, Pretoria University, South Africa, and UNN, stressing that the aim was to reduce the rising cases of sexual harassment in tertiary institutions.
“The conference will find ways, means, and approaches to proffer solutions to sexual harassment, bad traits, unhealthy, and negative behaviours that are not in accordance with the morality of society.
“Already, C-CASH is using artworks, drama, artivism, and advocacy to pass and drive home the message of sexual harassment since the majority of youths can be reached using those channels,” he said.
Erojikwe, who is a senior lecturer in the Department of Film and Theater Arts UNN commended the university Senate for approving the Institution’s Sexual Harassment Policy.
Earlier, Prof Joy Ezeilo, founder of Women’s Aid Collective (WACOL) commended the VC for supporting the conference as well as his administration’s zero tolerance for sexual harassment.
Ezeilo appealed to victims of sexual harassment to always speak out insisting that WACOL and other civil society organisations are always ready to assist them to ensure that perpetrators were brought to book.
In a Keynote speech virtually, Chicih Aniagolu Okoye, Regional Director of Ford Foundation West Africa, said that it is mild to reduce the torture, intimidation, shame, and unwanted attacks received by the victims of sexual harassment from the perpetrators, saying that the best term for such act is sexual violence.
She alleged that religious and cultural leaders have not helped matters in addressing the rising cases of sexual violence.
