By YANGE IKYAA
Gender Mobile Initiative is a non-governmental organization in Nigeria, which was established to complement policy and program efforts of government and other
relevant stakeholders in eliminating sexual and gender-based violence, particularly in environments of learning.
The not-for-profit non-state actor has spent the last three years driving policy engagements towards deconstructing the norms and cultures that enable
power-centered harassment for sexual benefit to thrive in environments of learning.
This life-saving service by the NGO is being rendered to the public in
partnership with Ford Foundation.
In furtherance of this public interest project, Gender Mobile launched its Campus Initiative, which has been running in the
last 18 months.
The NGO’s campus project implementation has evolved
into partnerships with 101 tertiary education institutions for the
design of individual institution’s context specific policy on sexual
harassment prohibition.
It has also ensured the institutionalization of bystander
intervention through the constitution of 30 student campus ambassadors
per institution.
The charity says its next big step is to unveil its feature-rich mobile
platform, which is scheduled to be launched on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at Zuma Hall, Rockview Royale Hotel, Wuse 2 in Abuja.
The mobile application is a feature-rich platform with
confidentiality-driven reporting, reported case tracking, as well as a support community/safe space that supports proactive bystander intervention.
It also incoporates information escrow and access learning centre to learn about policies, case appeal and onboarding information function.
The launch is billed to draw together heads of partner institutions and relevant agencies, such as the ICPC, National Orientation Agency, committee of vice-chancellors, and the ministry of education.
Also to be involved are regulatory
agencies, such as the NUC, NCCE, NBTE, as well as rectors and provosts of institutions, civil society organizations, media partners and student leaders across Nigeria.
The keynote address at the event will be delivered by the First Lady of Ekiti State and feminist thinker, Bisi-Adeleye Fayemi, and an
informational panel session is expected to assemble critical stakeholders in the ongoing war against sexual oppression in Nigeria.
