Human Rights defender and President of Women Arise for Change Dr Joe Okei Odumakin; and legal practitioner Ms. Ayo Obe, have been awarded Human Rights Lifetime Awards at an event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Human Rights Day.
The event, organized by the Center for Human Rights, UNILAG and supported by Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), had over 1,500 students and university workers in attendance.
In his welcome address, the Dean of the Faculty of Law Prof Ige Bolodeoku, commended the Center for Human Rights and the Human Rights Clinic for raising the consciousness of students about human rights and the National Gender Policy.
WRAPA representative Habiba Ahmed, expanded the role of social norms in the growth of Sexual and Gender-based Violence in communities. She called for the social inclusion of boys and girls, and the creation of a safe country without marginalization of any gender. 500-level Law student, Damilola Olaluwoye, who is the President of the Human Rights Clinic in the Faculty of Law, called on all students who are human rights enthusiasts, to join the clinic no matter their departments within the school.
During the panel session on ‘National Gender Policy and the Proposed SOP on Sexual Related Violence in Schools’, the Executive Director of the International Press Center Mr Lanre Arogundade, commended the passage of the VAPP Act and the media to report stories through a gender lens which gives equal access to women and men.
Former Head of the Department of Mass Communication UNILAG, Prof Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika believed that UNILAG would meet the affirmative action and gender parity quota.
She noted that the number of students were gender balanced with some departments recording more females than males.