UNICAL VC Vows To Sustain Fight Against Gender-Based Violence

Agency Reporter

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar (UNICAL), Prof. Florence Obi, has reiterated her administration’s determination to sustain the fight against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in the institution.

Obi said this when officials of the International Society of Media in Public Health (ISMPH) paid her an advocacy visit in Calabar on Monday.

She disclosed that the institution had been at the forefront of the fight against GBV and would leave nothing to chance in its avowed determination to stamp out the menace.

She added that “as an institution, we have been very keen on ending GBV and it is for this reason that I am pledging to sustain the fight against the menace.

“This institution will always embrace any form of partnership geared toward tackling GBV issues, as my administration is committed to partnering with ISMPH.

“The need to tackle GBV in UNICAL culminated in the establishment of the Centre for Gender Development, which has been up and running since inception.”

In her remarks, Moji Makanjuola, the Executive Director of ISMPH, described the advocacy visit as a “defining moment” for society in the fight against GBV.

Makanjuola stressed the need to institutionalize violence against women for better prevention, response, protocols, and programs.

She said ISMPH, in conjunction with the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), developed a manual on eliminating Sexual and Gender-based Violence and Harmful practices.

According to her, the manual has been accepted and effectively operational in pilot tertiary institutions as a resource to beef up the existing policies and response framework on sexual and GBV.

The executive director said that the project was aimed at conducting training and engagements for staff within the university which require in-depth discourse of novel strategies to combat violence against women and girls.

She added that: “If violence against women and girls must be eliminated, education, sensitization, and development of rules and guidelines at the school level are imperative.

“The overarching goal of the project is to work with three universities, including UNICAL, to mainstream and promote women and girls’ Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.

“ISMPH will work closely with the university’s management and unions to organize campus rallies to create awareness of the institutionalization of GBV prevention and response protocols.”