The Federal Government is planning to establish mobile courts to address issues related to sexual harassment. This initiative was announced by the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, at a one-day National Stakeholder’s Engagement on Sexual Harassment Prevention held on Tuesday in Abuja. The event was organized by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in collaboration with the Gender Mobile Initiative.
Mrs. Kennedy-Ohanenye expressed deep concern over the high rate of sexual harassment, particularly in tertiary institutions across the country. She emphasized that the measures being put in place would effectively tackle the menace. "Sexual harassment is not relegated to tertiary institutions alone but even occurs in primary and secondary schools, often perpetrated by teachers and sometimes among pupils," she noted.
Additionally, she highlighted collaborative efforts with hotel owners to deny underage children access to lodging and to report any such attempts to security operatives to curb sexual harassment issues.
She called on stakeholders to take decisive action to minimize sexual harassment and address the related problems of stigmatization and low self-esteem among victims.
Dr. Musa Aliyu, Chairman of the ICPC, stressed the importance of imposing heavy consequences on offenders to deter the increasing trend of sexual harassment. Aliyu, who is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, pointed out that sexual harassment and related societal ills, including gender discrimination, tarnish the nation's reputation.
"Only a consistent, persistent, focused, and united campaign can ensure that the challenge of sexual harassment in tertiary institutions is decisively addressed," Aliyu stated. He added that the ICPC, supported by the Ford Foundation, had previously executed a project aimed at curbing this societal issue. One significant outcome was the drafting of model anti-sexual harassment policies for various educational institutions.
The ICPC engaged the Gender Mobile Initiative to draft a model policy for tertiary institutions, which the Federal Ministry of Education approved for primary and tertiary institutions. These policies are intended to serve as comprehensive guidelines, though institutions may adopt them wholly if desired.
Aliyu reminded participants that anyone, regardless of status, designation, or gender, could be a victim or perpetrator of sexual harassment. He emphasized the need for proper implementation of these model policies, noting that Nigeria has many laws and policies that are often not correctly implemented.
Omowumi Ogunrotimi, founder and Executive Director of the Gender Mobile Initiative, urged stakeholders to focus on a prevention framework rather than a response framework. "That is why we are in collaboration with ICPC to see that the policy we designed together will be a product of extensive community engagement," she said. Ogunrotimi highlighted the importance of involving a broad range of stakeholders, including representatives from the National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and the student community.
"We aim to move this initiative forward, ensuring that policies translate into implementation," Ogunrotimi concluded. The event drew participation from over 25 Commissioners of Education from various states across the federation.
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