Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, Vice Chancellor, Tai Solarin University of Education, has said it’s high time academics began to contribute their quota in addressing the various challenges confronting Nigeria.
Arigbabu made this known whole delivering a goodwill message at the 1st International Conference organized by TASUED Centre for Human Rights and Gender Education, CHURGE.
Arigbabu commended CHURGE for organizing the conference with the theme, “Emerging Issues on Human Rights and Gender Education for Sustainable Development.”
The Vice Chancellor said, “I am glad that the center is making this giant stride in line with the vowed mandate, principles and objectives of the vision and mission of the centre and the University.
He butressed that, “the theme of the conference is most suitable especially at this time in our nation when there are rising human rights violations in low and high places. It is a general knowledge that we are daily confronted with numerous cases of forced displacement of people, high rates of unemployment, violent extremism, kidnapping and acts of terrorism among other related humanitarian crises in Nigeria.”
Earlier, Prof. Stella Odebode, Conference coordinator said the centre organized the conference because of its interest to promote issues relating to human rights especially because of the increase in violation of human rights and gender based violence.
Odebode said it has become imperative to “promote gender sensitivity on campuses, research institutes, governmental and non governmental organizations, thus cteating an enabling environment for peaceful co-existence among staff students and service providers on campus, different states of Nigeria and overseas.”
The visiting professor at CHURGE said she’s certain that the conference would “strengthen our goal of providing a safe and secured place void of harassment for all categories of people in Nigeria.”
Dr Adefunke Ekine, Senior Lecturer and the Deputy Director, Directorate of Research & External Relations, TASUED and Founder Youthcare Development and Empowerment initiative, while moderating a Panel session on “Sexual Harassment in Work Place” highlighted challenges women are faced with at work.
Ekine said, “harassment greatly affects the psychological and emotional life of victims. It lowers their self esteem and self worth which can lead to lack of concentration and fear especially when the perpetrator is the boss or lecturer. At work a feeling of insecurity and lack of trust can set in and it leads to a hostile environment which ultimately can affect the productivity of the victim.”
The panelists, which include Prof. Oluyemisi Obilade, Immediate past VC of TASUED and Omowumi Ogunrotimi, Founder, Gender Mobile, recommended that to end Sexual harassment in Higher Institutions and Workplaces, “developing a sexual harassment policy which would provide access for victims to report anonymously and leveraging on technology would be of great help.”
They also suggested the “creation of support group for victims, training peer educators and counselors, getting suggestions boxes on campus, punishing offenders publicly, investigating reported cases, developing mentoring group between lecturers and victims.”
