The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has hailed the passage of a groundbreaking law that prescribes a 14-year jail term for sexual harassment in educational institutions, marking a major step toward protecting students’ rights and dignity.
Mr. Sani-Saidu Muhammad, Programme Officer of the Male Feminist Network Project, praised the law as a strong deterrent to sexual misconduct and a means to create safer learning environments. He appealed to all states to domesticate the law alongside others like the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act and Child’s Rights Act to strengthen protections against gender-based violence (GBV).
CITAD also launched an initiative called “Core Support for Network Building of Male Feminists in Support of Gender-Based Violence Prevention in Nigeria,” engaging men and boys as allies against GBV and discrimination. The initiative works in Kano, Kaduna, and Jigawa States with support from the Centre for Leadership, Strategy, and Development (Centre LSD).
Through partnerships with traditional and religious leaders and digital media campaigns like the radio program “Martabar ‘Ya Mace” (“The Dignity of a Woman”), the network promotes positive masculinity and challenges harmful practices such as forced marriage, spousal abuse, and public humiliation of survivors.
Muhammad emphasized, “Change begins with each of us — through our words, our actions, and our willingness to challenge silence.”
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