Anti-sexual Harassment Policy Will Tackle Harmful Practices – Kafayat Oyetola

By Tunmise Iluyomade

The Wife of Osun State Governor, Mrs Kafayat Oyetola has implored tertiary institutions of learning in the country to be involved in the campaign against Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV).

She said the involvement will underscore true and factual learning in addition to character building in students.

Mrs Oyetola stated these at the inauguration/public presentation of Anti-Sexual Harassment Policy of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

The Osun First Lady observed that the challenges of gender inequity has been with the Society for ages and draped with all forms of practices that perpetuate and sustain gender inequity.

She explained that the practices tend to foster in boys the unsubstantiated idea that being male confers superiority over the girls and many men grow up with this idea which get infused into the society.

Mrs Oyetola noted that Osun State Government has stepped up its legal framework for the elimination of all forms of sexual harassments and all forms of gender-based violence.

The President, IleriIOluwa Development Initiative, however, appealed to the citizenry to take actions today that would affect the society of tomorrow positively.

While inaugurating the Anti-Sexual Harassment Policy, the Wife of Governor of Ekiti State, Erelu Bisi Adeleye Fayemi expressed happiness that issues concerning sexual harassments are being dealt with in most facets of life now.

She said all tertiary institutions should have a policy on sexual harassment with a zero tolerance culture to back it up.

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede said that even though the Senate of the institution has approved the revised Anti-Sexual Harassment Policy since April 2020, it could not come up until now as a result of COVID-19 Pandemic.

Speaking on the topic: Delivering on our mandate; confronting SGBVA, ensuring safe spaces in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions, the guest speaker, Prof. Oluyemisi Obilade stated that sexual harassment is an unwanted and unsolicited sexual attention from someone usually in a position of power towards another especially women irrespective of age, race or culture.

Also, the Chairperson of the Anti-Sexual Harassment Implementation Committee, Prof. Moji Olateju in her welcome address said the sexual harassment of 2017 gave the institution the need to put up a policy to curb the menace in the university community.

There were goodwill messages by other eminent guests and professional and non professional bodies at the occasion which centred on the need to wage a total war against sexual harassments of any kind not only in the university communities but the larger Society in Nigeria.