We’re committed to promoting gender balance, harmony for academic excellence — JABU VC

The Vice-Chancellor stated this during a seminar titled “Gender Sensitization in the University Environment” organized by the Gender Mainstream Office of this university.

According to him, the seminar was put in place to educate and eliminate violence against women and girls to give room to transformative development.

He said the seminar organized by the Gender Mainstream Office of this university is the outcome of the global activism which originated from the first women’s leadership conference in 1995.

He said, “Since then, Gender Mainstreaming has been embraced internationally as a strategy for promoting gender equality. It is a process that ensures that women and men have equal access to opportunities, rewards, and society-valued resources.

“This can be achieved by conducting various sensitization campaigns, training centers, workshops, and programs.

“Therefore, to align with this universally acceptable objective of equal rights for men and women, management has decided to create the JABU Gender Mainstream Office to raise awareness on issues that affects the female gender in the university

It is also put in place to investigate cases of gender and sexual harassment, mentor, counsel, and advocate on gender-based issues come up with JABU’s Gender Policy

“In our quest to become a world-class institution, to actualize the lofty philosophy and objectives of our founding fathers, and make our university environment more conducive for learning and development, we must go beyond our current gender insensitivity”

He sued for gender balance, equity, and justice, stressing that society should extend the same opportunity accorded a male child to his female counterpart.

Speaking during the seminar, the facilitator/consultant Prof (Mrs) Olapeju Ayelaagbe, advised the participants to be gender sensitive by avoiding discrimination against either sex and avoiding sexual harassment.

She said, “dont put yourself or any other person down on account of gender and treat both genders with respect, while you should ensure space for all on-campus irrespective of their status

“We must also always assign roles based on talent but not sex and fair representation based on merit. No one should be afraid to report a case of domestic violence,  it is everyone’s business when someone is abused”

Also speaking, Dr (Mrs) Olayinka Egbokhare stressed the need to report every domestic violence case saying every act, utterance, or belief used to sustain violence should be discouraged.

It is not only violence it ends in death. Violence has lifelong consequences for physical and mental health,  social functioning, and economic development.

She, however, said, “An end could be put to violence through the empowerment of women through advocacy and education,  changing beliefs and attitudes that permit abusive behavior and also by punishing perpetrators of violence.”