PLAN International Nig Seeks Speedy Passage Of Sexual Harrassment Bill

To uphold human rights and address all forms of Gender-Based Violence in Nigeria, Plan International Nigeria has called for the speedy passage into law of the sexual harassment bill.

The Advocacy and Youth Programme Officer at Plan International, Jonathan Abakpa made the call in Abuja at a Legislative and Policy Dialogue on Gender-Based Violence in the Education sector.

He noted that GBV, in whatever form, psychological, emotional, physical, or economic, has negative effects on the survivors especially battling with the stigma associated with it hence the need for increased budgetary allocation in the 2025 appropriation bill to reflect enforcement of safe school for girls and children.

Abakpa who stressed the need for integration of gender equality and the effects of GBV into the school curriculum, said it will educate children about respect, equality, and healthy relationships as well as teach them to recognise and report abusive behaviours.

According to him, engaging young adults was geared towards getting first hand information to enable stakeholders to make informed decisions.

He said this became necessary as no fewer than 13 million Nigerian students had one time or the other been a victim of Gender-Based Violence in schools by teachers or fellow students.

According to Abakpa “There is a current UNICEF report which shows that seven million girls are facing one form of violence from their teachers or classmates. Over six million men or boys are equally facing the same.”

“This is just what statistics are showing because if you look at the out-of-school and then the non-conventional – the informal educational sector, there are no clear statistics. In fact, there are no statistics anywhere that shows the level of violence that is occurring in that sector”.

“Yet, these are not formal points of reports, and if this continues to grow, the contentious statistics of 18.3 million or 20 million out-of-school children will continue to grow.

On her part, National Coordinator of Girls Get Equal, Mrs Adokaji Odela, said that despite the frequent advocacies around GBV, the alarming rate of cases required urgent attention.

Mrs Adokaji noted that engagement with stakeholders had led to the development of an accountability dashboard on cases of violence, which has served as an opportunity to roll out their demands.

Also, the Community Advocates for Network of People Living with HIV/AIDs, Idoko Raymond who expressed worry about gender based violence against men which according to him had been a leading cause of suicide as men hardly come out to tell their stories hence leading them to commit suicide.

The event is organised by Plan International Nigeria, Girls Get Equal Nigeria, EU Youth Sounding Board in partnership with the House of Representatives Committees on Women Affairs and Basic Education Services with the theme: Creating Safe and Equitable Educational Environments for All.

Florence Adewale, Edited By Grace Namiji