Gender Mobile unveils app for reporting sexual violence, harassment

A Non-Government Organisation, Gender Mobile Initiative, has unveiled a mobile app for reporting sexual harassment and its prevention in tertiary institutions in the country.
Ms Omowumi Ogunrotimi, Founder and Executive Director of Gender Mobile, said at the unveiling of the app popularly known as ‘Campus Pal’ that 101 tertiary institutions had already tapped into the platform to expose randy lecturers.
Ogunrotimi said that the app was carefully built with support from Ford Foundation and partner agencies such as the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), National Orientation Agency (NOA), as well as National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
She noted that the diverse population, made up of students and academic staff in the tertiary institutions, was considered before creating the app (Campus Pal Mobile Platform). “In the last three years, we have focused on environments of learning to address sexual harassment from a policy standpoint and through technology adoption.
“This effort piloted in four tertiary education institutions and I am glad to share that this has morphed into partnerships with 101 tertiary education institutions with support from the Ford Foundation.
“In 2019 the nation came to terms with the reality of the epidemic proportion of sexual harassment in our fine institutions.
“The BBC sex for grades video provided insight on emerging issues and we were confronted with critical questions such as what parameters should be used in determining behavior that constitutes sexual harassment? “These posers informed the national convening of regulatory agencies/ICPC and other stakeholders where a policy framework was designed for institutions to use and develop their full anti-sexual harassment policy,” Ogunrotimi said.
She said that more needed to be done to ensure the desired result would be achieved.
Mrs Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, wife of Ekiti State Governor, in her keynote address epressed displeasure that students were abused by lecturers whom they looked up to for guidance and mentoring.
She listed staring in a sexual manner, displaying pornographic or sexually explicit material, sex jokes, touching without consent, asking intrusive questions or repeatedly making unwanted requests for sex or dates as acts of sexual harassment.
“In October 2019, I attended the screening of the BBC Documentary, ‘Sex for Grades’, at the Sheraton Hotel in Lagos. I could not believe what I was watching.
“I laughed at the pitiful sight of a grown man bumping and grinding in front of a girl young enough to be his daughter, claiming to be praying for her. (NAN)