THE CENTRE for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), has lauded the passage of the new law prescribing a 14-year jail term for sexual harassment in schools.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the center described the development as a major milestone in protecting the rights and dignity of students in Nigeria.
The Programme Officer, Male Feminist Network Project, Mr Sani-Saidu Muhammad, gave the commendation at a press conference on Wednesday in Zaria, Kaduna State.
Muhammad said the law would serve as a strong deterrent to perpetrators of sexual misconduct and help to create safer learning environments for students.
He urged governments at the sub-national level to domesticate the law to ensure its effective implementation across the country.
The official also appealed to states yet to adopt the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act and the Child’s Rights Act to do so urgently to strengthen child protection mechanisms and address gender-based violence (GBV).
Muhammad said CITAD had developed new initiative, which it tag as “Core Support for Network Building of Male Feminists in Support of Gender-Based Violence Prevention in Nigeria.”
“The new initiative seeks to mobilise men and boys as allies in the campaign against GBV and gender discrimination.
“We recognise that much of the gender-based violence directed at women is perpetrated by men, but we also believe that men’s agency is critical in ending this negative treatment against our womenfolk,” he said.
He explained that the initiative, implemented in partnership with the Centre for Leadership, Strategy, and Development (Centre LSD) was in Kano, Kaduna, and Jigawa States with a view to promoting gender equality and women’s dignity.
Muhammad said the network had engaged key stakeholders, traditional and religious leaders to denounce harmful practices such as forced marriage, spousal abuse, and public humiliation of GBV survivors.
He said CITAD had also leveraged digital media through its radio programme “Martabar ‘Ya Mace” meaning “The Dignity of a Woman” to promote positive masculinity and gender equality.
Muhammad stressed the need to bridge the gender digital divide, which had limited access to technology among women, there by worsened socio-economic inequality.
“Change begins with each of us – through our words, our actions, and our willingness to challenge silence,” he added. (NAN)
