Women Group Launches Film On Gender-based Violence

As part of activities marking the global “16 Day Activism Against Gender-based Violence”, a group, Gender Mobile Initiative has premiered a new film and launched an upgraded reporting platform for tackling the growing incidence of sexual harassment on Nigerian campuses.

At the event, the executive head of Gender Mobile Initiative, Barr Omowunmi Ogunwunmi, said the programme was organised to amplify young people’s voice in demanding for accountability regarding issues of sexual-based violence in higher institutions of learning.

She stressed the urgency to address sexual harassment, noting that 70% of female undergraduates in Nigeria are affected.

“The scale of the problem has been largely attributed to lack of reporting, lack of accountability mechanism and lack of policy,” she said.

Ogunwunmi said learning environments are meant to nurture and shape minds, and not become spaces of fear, intimidation or exploitation.

She warned that sexual harassment impairs educational outcomes and forces many young women out of school, undermining their economic potential and contributions to national development.

According to her, the new Campus Power Hub is “a safety tool for learners to explore during court cases and to demand institutional accountability.”

She added that over 350 higher education institutions across the country have integrated the tool into their campus safety frameworks.

The senior special assistant to the President on Student Matters, Hon. Sunday Adedayo Ashefon, commended the group and its partners for their commitment to supporting survivors and pushing for accountability in Nigerian campuses.

He described sexual harassment as “a serious issue demanding urgent action,” praising the organisation for “standing tall for victims of gender-based violence” and working tirelessly to ensure justice for survivors.

The co-founder of Amanda Institute for Policy and Leadership Advancement and former First Lady of Ekiti State, Bisi Adeleye Fayemi, emphasised the importance of reducing gender-based violence in the society and applauded the innovators behind Campus PAL App Version 2.0.

She described the new tools and the film as critical interventions that challenge the culture of silence that has long enabled sexual harassment in Nigerian institutions.

“We cannot continue to have a situation where young girls go to school and their education is truncated by their lecturers. This is totally unacceptable,” she stated.