The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has commended the passage of a new law prescribing a 14-year jail term for sexual harassment in schools, describing it as a major milestone in protecting the rights and dignity of Nigerian students.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday in Zaria, Kaduna State, the Programme Officer of CITAD’s Male Feminist Network Project, Mr. Sani-Saidu Muhammad, said the new legislation would serve as a strong deterrent to perpetrators of sexual misconduct and help to ensure safer learning environments for students.
Muhammad urged governments at the sub-national level to domesticate the law to guarantee its effective implementation nationwide.
He also appealed to states yet to adopt the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP) and the Child’s Rights Act to do so urgently, to strengthen child protection mechanisms and tackle gender-based violence (GBV).
Muhammad announced that CITAD had developed a new initiative tagged “Core Support for Network Building of Male Feminists in Support of Gender-Based Violence Prevention in Nigeria.”
“The new initiative seeks to mobilise men and boys as allies in the campaign against GBV and gender discrimination,” he said. “We recognise that much of the gender-based violence directed at women is perpetrated by men, but we also believe men’s agency is crucial to ending this negative treatment.”
He explained that the programme, implemented in partnership with the Centre for Leadership, Strategy, and Development (Centre LSD), is currently operational in Kano, Kaduna, and Jigawa States to promote gender equality and women’s dignity.
According to him, the network has engaged key stakeholders, including traditional and religious leaders, to denounce harmful practices such as forced marriage, spousal abuse, and public humiliation of GBV survivors.
Muhammad added that CITAD had also leveraged digital media through its radio programme “Martabar ‘Ya Mace” (meaning “The Dignity of a Woman”) to promote positive masculinity and gender equality.
He emphasised the need to bridge the gender digital divide, which continues to limit women’s access to technology and deepen socio-economic inequality.
“Change begins with each of us — through our words, our actions, and our willingness to challenge silence,” Muhammad added.
