Oyo to punish sexual harassers in tertiary institutions

Oyo State Government has expressed its readiness to partner with the Gender Mobile Initiative to reduce cases of sexual harassment and other vices in state-owned tertiary institutions through technology.

The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abdulwaheed Adelabu, disclosed this on Thursday at a one-day stakeholders’ meeting with the Education Commissioner on Dissemination, Adaptation, and Implementation of Anti-Sexual Harassment Policy in Tertiary Institutions in Oyo State, held at the Polytechnic, Ibadan.

Speaking further at the meeting organized by the Education Ministry and Gender Mobile Initiative, Prof. Adelabu said the Ministry, together with the organization, would design a framework that will complement the existing policies of each public tertiary institution in respect to sexual harassment.

He added that the introduction of technology would assist greatly in tracking perpetrators of sexual harassment in the institutions and monitoring activities of individuals on campuses.

The commissioner opined that lecturers are expected to see their students as biological children and treat them in such a manner.

He submitted that sometimes students deliberately harass their lecturers sexually through various means, calling on both to desist from the act.

Adelabu revealed that the Governor Seyi Makinde administration would support organisations ready to work with the government in achieving its desired goals and objectives.

He noted that the government will not spare anyone caught engaging in sexual harassment and other vices but will deal with them accordingly.

The convener, Barrister Omowumi Ogunrotimi, said the organization sees the need to sensitize and educate people about what constitutes sexual harassment and ways of preventing the menace, particularly among students of tertiary institutions.

She hinted that about 70 percent of undergraduates experience sexual harassment, adding that the Gender Mobile Applications provide a clear reporting channel for victims of sexual harassment to reach the leadership of concerned institutions.

She emphasized the need for the leadership of tertiary institutions to integrate sexual harassment preventive mechanisms into their framework and also leverage technology.

While appreciating the Oyo State Government for its unalloyed support, Ogunrotimi said work would commence with the heads of tertiary institutions in the state using the model policy on sexual harassment prevention approved by the Federal Ministry of Education.

Lauding the leadership of the Education Ministry and the convener of the program, member of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Bisi Oluranti Michael, advised students to stay away from indecent dressing, particularly female students, saying this would prevent them from becoming victims of sexual harassment or rape.