Womanifesto, a Women’s Rights Movement practitioner, professionals, and NGOs, has condemned the audio and video statements credited to the Minister of Women Affairs Uju Kennedy, where she allegedly threatened female law students of the University of Calabar for accusing the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Professor Cyril Ndifon, of sexual harassment.
Womanifesto, in a statement signed by its Co-Convener, Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, expressed concern over the Minister’s comment on the UNICAL sexual harassment case and their implications for the interest and protection of vulnerable women and children.
Womanifesto called that it sent a delegation to the Minister of Women Affairs in Abuja on Tuesday, September 12, to express disappointment and dissatisfaction over the
manner the situation in UNICAL was been handled.
The statement said the delegation highlighted the alarming prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence in the society, especially in the tertiary institutions.
According to the statement, the delegation called on the Minister to desist from interfering in the case of sexual harassment against Prof. Ndifon and interfacing with the female student victims in the case.
“We were shocked that the Hon. Minister was heard in the video recording that appeared to have been recorded after the said meeting (again not denied) threatening the students with dire consequences, including imprisonment if they continued to pursue the case of sexual harassment against Professor Ndifon.
“According to the Hon. Minister, since the girls had admitted to you that they were not raped, it means they were not sexually harassed. Thus, it appears rape (penetrative sexual intercourse) is the only form of sexual harassment recognised by the Minister.
“It is shocking, to say the least, that a Minister of Women Affairs should hold such a narrow and erroneous view of what constitutes sexual harassment,” the statement said.
Womanifesto said the United Nations clearly describes sexual harassment as “sexual advances, requests for sexual favours and verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, whether implicitly or explicitly.”
It further stated that in the audio, the Minister also insinuated that some people used and manipulated the students to get Professor Ndifon out of office so “they” themselves could take his place.
“We note that Professor Ndifon, who is currently on suspension from the university, has gone to court to make a case against a campaign to smear his image.
“The utterances of the Minister of Women Affairs on the case of sexual harassment against
Professor Ndifon, therefore, can only be seen as taking sides with him. Our delegation was clear in explaining this issue to you good self during the meeting.
“Let it be stated clearly that Womanifesto outrightly condemns attempts to trivialize sexual harassment by narrowly reducing it to penetrative sex or rape only. We demand a retraction from the Hon Minister and an apology to the innocent students you have bullied and traumatised.
“We believe the Office of the Minister of Women Affairs should be investing its energies in rallying support for victims and survivors of sexual harassment and all forms of gender-based violence and mitigating all factors that could compound the vulnerability of women and girls.
“We are calling on the Human Rights Commission, ICPC, and other law enforcement agencies to ensure that those women and girls who have the courage to come forward when they have been sexually violated receive adequate protection and justice.
“We are also calling on well-meaning Nigerians to lend their support to efforts to rid our campuses of sexual predators who abuse their office and power to sexually exploit our young women and children who simply want to pursue academic aspirations.
“Womanifesto commends the Vice Chancellor of UNICAL for forging ahead to ensure that justice is done despite the uncomfortable circumstances. We are urging her to do all she can to ensure that the students involved are shielded from exposure to more vulnerable situations and harm than they have already endured. We are equally urging university authorities in UNICAL and elsewhere in the country to provide safe spaces where the voices of more students who have been victims of sexual harassment can be heard loud and clear.”
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