"Sexual Harassment Pushes Girls Out of Schools, Threatening National Progress – Gender Mobile"

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

This is as the civil society group announced a new reporting platform aimed at tackling the growing incidents of sexual harassment across Nigerian campuses, as part of its activities marking the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

Speaking at the event, the Executive Lead of Gender Mobile Initiative, Omowunmi Ogunwunmi, said the program was organised to amplify young people’s voices in demanding accountability regarding issues of sexual-based violence in institutions of higher learning.

She highlighted the urgency to address sexual harassment, noting that 70 per cent of female undergraduates in Nigeria experience some form of sexual harassment.

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

The Executive Lead of Gender Mobile Initiative stressed that learning environments are meant to nurture and shape minds, and not become spaces of fear, intimidation, or exploitation.

“Women are mostly affected; they are disproportionately affected. So when women have to drop out of school because of experiences of sexual harassment or violence, it reduces their economic potential as a major contributor to economic development rather than ‘pollution.’ So it is really important that we nip it in the bud, you know, by demanding accountability, by putting the necessary framework in place,” she said.

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 already integrated the tool into their campus safety frameworks.

The Executive Lead also emphasised the platform’s role in strengthening bystander intervention and encouraging students to “speak out, even with a whisper,” while mobilising peers for collective action.

She described the involvement of campus ambassadors as “powerful” and essential to shifting campus culture.

Reacting to the newly passed Sexual Harassment Bill, which is awaiting presidential assent, she said, signing the bill into law would be transformational for Nigerian campuses.

According to her, “It will revolutionise the learning landscape because people will understand that sexual harassment carries grave consequences. It will properly guide educators and help diffuse power hierarchies, reinforcing the fiduciary relationship of trust that should never be abused,” she said.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Student Matters, Sunday Adedayo Ashefon, commended Gender Mobile 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.

According to him, the Presidency has been working closely with advocacy groups to advance the Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Institutions Bill, which has already received significant backing from the National Assembly.

He gave assurance that all legislative processes are nearly complete, and the bill is now awaiting transmission to the President.

“I can assure you, as soon as the bill gets to the table of the President, it is one he would love to sign. The President is HeForShe and strongly believes in protecting our female gender,” he said.

He emphasised that once the law is signed, it will apply to every Nigerian, regardless of status, imposing strict penalties on anyone found guilty of sexual harassment in academic environments.

Adding her voice to the call for safer campuses, the Co-founder of the 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 society.

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.

She commended Gender Mobile for giving students a platform to report, track, and follow up on cases of harassment, noting that such digital tools restore agency, ensure accountability, and protect the rights of learners.

She expressed hope that both students and institutions nationwide will strengthen safety and justice across campuses.