By Hussaina Yakubu
MEDIA experts have called for a unified effort to eradicate sexual harassment in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
This appeal was made in a communiqué issued at the end of a one-day ‘Residential Consultation with Media Editors in Nigeria’.
It was held in partnership with Alliances for Africa (AfA) and Co-Impact, from June 23 to 25, 2024, at Bolton White Hotel, Abuja.
The communiqué, signed by 30 participants from various media organisations, highlights the need for governmental agencies and relevant bodies to provide support and resources for implementing the meeting’s resolutions.
The recommendations include: Validating gender unit heads’ suitability, promoting women’s leadership, involving media in reporting harassment, and launching annual documentation of harassment cases.
The communiqué also called for active participation from all stakeholders to eradicate sexual harassment in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
It also called for collaboration with the media by engaging specific mainstream media houses through courtesy visits and continuous interactions.
“Tip-off and progressively involve the media when civil society organizations (CSOs) receive reports of sexual. harassment.
“Establish relationships between media houses and tertiary institutions to share story ideas,” the communique continued.
The meeting also encouraged the active participation of men who champion women’s rights in sexual harassment advocacy ‘#HeforShe’.
It added, “Women’s inclusivity by promoting women’s leadership roles in tertiary institutions.”
The communiqué wanted the conduct of campaigns which would include traditional commercials and social media efforts, to push for the assent of the Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill.
It also urged media houses to support the campaign by holding them accountable to their corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitments.
It also sought for the launch and annual documentation of reported cases of sexual harassment in tertiary institutions to create scorecards and benchmarks.
The communiqué further recommends the training and support for journalists on uncovering, documenting, reporting, and following up on sexual harassment cases.
The meeting also observed that sexual harassment was prevalent and under-reported in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The communiqué reads: “Heads of gender units often lack the necessary knowledge to address harassment effectively.
“Survivors and stakeholders who report harassment are not adequately protected from retaliation. Committees addressing harassment cases are predominantly male and often fail to submit reports.
“Media houses frequently lack the resources needed for thorough investigations. National and sub-national policies on sexual harassment are inconsistently applied.”
According to the communiqué, sexual harassment negatively impacts not only survivors but also the institutions’ reputation and society at large.
The editors called on all stakeholders, including media houses, government agencies, and CSOs to join in the collective effort to eradicate sexual harassment from Nigerian tertiary institutions.
“Government agencies and other bodies must provide the necessary support and resources to implement these resolutions successfully,” the communiqué further urged. (NAN)
