Women Networks under the Women’s Voice and Leadership (WVL) Project of ActionAid Nigeria, funded by Global Affairs Canada, have lent their voices to condemn the alleged scandal with regard to the unwarranted intimidation and sexual harassment by Prof. Cyril Ndifon, suspended Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Calabar (UNICAL).
They pointed out that the alleged sexual harassment, which is the second so far reported against Prof. Cyril Ndifon, is not only appalling, disgusting, and unacceptable, to put it mildly, owing to the fact that Prof. Ndifon is not only a senior academic staff member but one that has put in over 30 years of service as a lecturer.
Despite the foggy weather, the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Women’s Voice and Leadership (WVL), Gender and Development Action (GADA), and other NGOs gathered together on Tuesday for a solidarity march, which began at UNICAL Main Gate with placards bearing different inscriptions like “Female students are not sex toys”, “Girls are not commodities, “etc.
On the sidelines of the solidarity march, the National President of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Mrs Ladi Bala, noted that the University is on course to ensure that justice is done for all the survivors of sexual harassment in the University.
“Our call is that such a negative trend should be stopped at all levels of education because it is retrogressive and does not add to the development drive of this country, she added.
In a statement read by Head of Programmes, ActionAid, Nkechi Ilochi-Kanny at the end of the solidarity march, the Women Network demanded stringent measures against Prof. Ndifon.
The statement reads in part: “While we commend the Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Florence Banki Obi, and the management team of the Institution for the swift action taken by suspending Prof. Cyril Ndifon over the violations of the well-written rules and regulations of the institution, we nevertheless insist and demand a full and comprehensive investigation into the condemnable matter as well as ensure proper prosecution of Prof. Ndifon to serve as a deterrent to others with similar behavioural pattern or intention(s).
“Towards this end, we urge heads of educational institutions in the country to, as a matter of public importance, borrow a leaf from the Vice Chancellor of UNICAL by creating a safe space for girls to voice out against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in schools.
Such proactive measures will go a long way to creating an environment such as the type that empowered the law students of UNICAL to stage a protest and open up about the constant sexual harassment and abuse of their bodies by lecturers at the institution.
“The incidences of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence are not only peculiar to UNICAL but common on most campuses of tertiary institutions and have been going on unhindered due to a lack of enabling laws.
This ugly trend, if not urgently addressed, is capable of truncating the educational and personal development of girls and women.
And taking into cognizance the already high number of out-of-school girls, there is no need to emphasise the fact that the country cannot afford to risk more girls quitting schools for fear of sexual harassment by some lecturers who are expected to be societal role models but, unfortunately, are unable to control their animalistic libidos.
The Women Network appealed to Mr President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as a matter of national concern and interest, to kindly assent to the Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal of Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Educational Institutions Bill passed by the 9th National Assembly.
They recommended that educational institutions in Nigeria should, as a matter of necessity, develop sexual and gender harassment policies to safeguard the dignity of girls and provide a safe environment for learning.
“We wish to applaud the boldness and forthrightness of the female law students of UNICAL for standing up and speaking against injustice.
We, therefore, appeal to other students facing similar abuse and intimidation to speak up so that the educational system can be cleansed of bad elements.
“On our part as women’s networks, while implementing the Women’s Voice and Leadership Nigeria project of ActionAid Nigeria, we will work with the gender department of UNICAL to provide psycho-social support to survivors of sexual Harassment in the school to give them hope of a better future, she added.
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