By Emmanuel Afonne
An NGO, Gender Mobile Initiative (GMI), in partnership with Ford Foundation will organise a national dialogue on sexual harassment aimed at curbing gender-based violence in the country.
Omowumi Ogunrotimi, Executive Director, Gender Mobile Initiative, said on Wednesday in Abuja that the dialogue scheduled to hold on Dec. 6 in Abuja, was to complement government’s efforts at ending sexual crime.
Ogunrotimi said that the national dialogue was also to provide a policy direction that would holistically address emerging dimensions to the issues of sexual harassment.
“The national dialogue on sexual harassment is significantly premised on our partnership with the Ford Foundation in a bid to develop a model policy on sexual harassment in tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
“As part of our ongoing effort supported by the Ford Foundation, we are designing a road map to implement a model from a policy standpoint while also building a sustainable campus infrastructure.
“The infrastructure integrates technology adoption (Mobile Application for confidential reporting) and activities that will raise awareness and drive attitudinal and behavioural changes to ultimately improve individual and institutional response.
“While we acknowledge the fact that sexual harassment is not just in our tertiary institutions alone, the focus of the dialogue is directed towards the tertiary institutions as a breeding ground for character and learning in the society,” Ogunrotimi said in a statement.
She also said that the national dialogue would draw relevant stakeholders from the academia, development space and regulatory agencies with key stakes in addressing issues relating to sexual harassment in tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
“The programme is envisioned as a deliberative assembly where participants’ conversations and resolutions from the working sessions will provide a guide for our model policy draft,” she added. (NAN)