Here’s how universities are tackling gender-based violence

Global humanitarian aid organisation, the International Rescue Committee, argued in a recent report that one of the best ways to address the prevalence of gender-based violence (GBV) in society is to provide education for the girl child. Ironically, in spite of global attention to gender-based violence, tertiary institutions in Nigeria continue to be a hotbed of abuse.

A study based in Northern Nigeria dating back to 2011 indicated that almost 60% of respondents in a survey of female students in the region revealed that they had experienced GBV.

The problem is ongoing. A more recent study by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, in collaboration with women groups, revealed that 34.4% of (160) survey respondents perceived sexual violence as the most prevalent kind of violence in Nigerian tertiary institutions, followed by psychological violence, at 25.5%, and physical violence, at 21.7%.

And, in May 2024, University World News reported that some students at one university were taking matters into their own hands to protect themselves against sex-for-grades and predatory behaviour from Nigerian lecturers.

Barely a week after publication of that report, another article exposed how students of Federal University, Lokoja, a publicly-owned university in Nigeria’s north-central, had stripped a lecturer half naked for making unwanted sexual advances towards a female student.

It took the intervention of the university’s security to save the lecturer from further public embarrassment. The university thereafter reportedly suspended the lecturer.

Defined by the United Nations as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life”, GBV extends beyond higher education to broader society.

In November 2023, Nigerian Minister of Women’s Affairs and Social Development, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, said the country had recorded 27,698 cases of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in six states across the country’s six geo-political zones.

These figures were based on data collected over three years: from 2020 to 2023.

Available services

To understand what they are doing to mitigate the problem, University World News reached out to higher education institutions and stakeholders across Nigeria to understand what services are available to students to sensitise them about GBV-related issues and provide support systems for victims or at-risk students.

Suliah Lawal, a 300-level student of mass communication at Kwara State University in north-central Nigeria, told University World News that student services for GBV victims in her institution are limited.

“We have a counselling unit, but it’s understaffed and underfunded. The counselling units on our campus are not very effective due to a lack of trained personnel and resources,” she said.

Lawal said that support systems for sexually harassed students are essentially non-existent.

“There’s no specific support system for sexually harassed students, which is a significant gap in our institution’s services. Even if support services exist, they’re often ineffective due to factors like stigma, cultural and societal norms, and inadequate funding,” she said.

However, not all responses from students were dismal. For instance, Adesina Habeeb, a 200-level student of Tai Solarin University of Education, or TASUED, Ogun State, said his institution provides a supportive environment for students in a dedicated gender unit and counselling centre staffed by trained personnel.

“The counselling units on our campus are effective because they have trained personnel who understand the importance of confidentiality and empathy. However, more resources and awareness campaigns are needed,” he said.

He said there were vibrant gender-focused student associations providing peer support for women and female students in the institution.

However, Habeeb said that, even though the services exist, not all students are aware of them. He also noted that stigmatisation of victims is still a notable challenge, alongside inadequate funding for awareness campaigns and extensive support beyond training programmes.

The university’s spokesperson, Ayotunde Odubela, told University World News that Tai Solarin University of Education has a gender policy and runs a free counselling unit known as the Centre for Human Rights and Gender Education. The centre, according to her, has handled many cases of GBV in the past 10 years. “We have a very vibrant centre that runs seminars, workshops. We are currently running a programme on advocacy as alternative to dispute resolutions.

“We often refer victims of GBV to a trauma centre at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital to stabilise them and then the university steps in to provide the needed counselling to help them overcome stigmatisation. We have practical cases of students raped outside the university campus that have been helped in the past. And they are doing well now,” she said, addressing some of the students’ concerns.

Playing catch-up

“Private universities in Nigeria may have more resources to devote to GBV support services, but public universities like mine are working hard to catch up,” she said.

However, even private universities in Nigeria struggle to meet the needs of GBV victims or at-risk students.

Oluwamuyiwa Azeez, a final-year student of the American University of Nigeria, a private institution located in the northern part of the country, told University World News that, although counselling centres exist, they are essentially unusable.

“Student services in my institution are inadequate, especially when it comes to supporting victims of GBV. We have a counselling centre, but it’s underfunded,” the student said.

Azeez also said personnel at counselling centres often resort to victim-blaming and adopt a dismissive demeanour when a complaint is lodged.

He noted that, although his school, being a private institution, had more resources, it still fell short by prioritising its corporate reputation over the well-being of students. “It’s disappointing that our institution fails to provide adequate support services for victims of GBV. I would love to see a better form of administration and action to address GBV. The culture of silence must end,” he said.

Efforts to get the authorities of the American University of Nigeria to react to the student’s allegations have been futile as its Senior Director, Public Affairs, Yusuf Mohammed, could not be reached.

Most institutions in Nigeria across the private and public sectors continue to do their best, despite the gaping holes.

Lagos State University (LASU), a public institution located in Lagos, has established a standalone centre, the Centre for Response and Prevention of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (CRPSGBV), which is intended as a safe space for students and staff where they can report all incidents of sexual abuse and other forms of gender-based violence.

LASU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello told University World News that the centre uses ubiquitous solutions like 24-hour confidential telephone lines, SMS- and text-based services, and social media pages that encourage the reporting of GBV, with anonymous reporting encouraged.

Regarding efforts to mitigate the prevalence of GBV-related incidents, Olatunji-Bello said the university holds orientation sessions for new students, inviting the Student Support Centre to provide comprehensive information for students concerning counselling services, medical assistance and more.

“The institution also holds regular seminars to educate female students concerning subjects such as consent, reporting sexual misconduct, and the provision of communication channels for students to seek further information or report incidents,” she explained.

Mitigating services

Babcock University (BU), a private university in Ogun State, also makes efforts to provide support for students. Babcock has an extensive history of providing support in the form of rehabilitation and counselling for students embroiled in substance abuse and other social challenges.

Dr Joshua Suleiman, the university’s director of communication and marketing, said the university has an extensive history of providing support in the form of rehabilitation and counselling for students embroiled in substance abuse and other social challenges.

He said the university has a wellness centre located in a serene environment outside the main campus where students have access to psychotherapists and recreational facilities. Besides, the university has a list of accredited institutions that it is confident can provide quality services. These are recommended to parents who do not want their children to use the services provided by the university.

Although the university acknowledged that a lot of its services are directed at preventive measures, he also told University World News about other mitigating services provided for victims, such as medical referrals, counselling sessions and peer networks or support group services.

“We organise and establish support groups and peer networks for GBV survivors to share their experiences and learn from others. This helps victims recover from the trauma of GBV. We also try to provide more information about their situation through psycho-educational services,” he said.

BU also encourages victims to seek justice against perpetrators via referrals to legal services especially when the situation goes beyond the university’s disciplinary committee.

Other universities pointed to broad institutional efforts to protect students from GBV-related incidents.

While not outlining specific student services to support victims or encourage communication about GBV, a public relations officer of the University of Nigeria (UNN) said it “has zero tolerance towards sexual misconduct or GBV”.

“We frown upon it [GBV],” Dr Okwun Omeaku said, when asked for more information on concrete steps the institution was taking to address GBV through student services.

“For the record, UNN is among the few universities in the country that has a sexual harassment policy, which guides the relationship between our staff and students, in particular, and among our male and female staff,” the public relations officer said.

UNN also has a gender policy which provides guidelines for preventing GBV and handling responses, Omeaku said.

“Our university raises awareness and promotes gender equality, like gender-sensitive training programmes and campaigns. We have encouraged students who experience or know someone that experiences GBV, to reach out to any member of our Student Affairs Department,” the university noted.

The value of partnerships

Asked whether cost challenges are hindering the delivery of student services in the institution, Lagos State University downplayed the notion.

“Lagos State University has done so much to ensure a safe learning and work environment for students, staff and other users of the university community. However, this does not mean that the institution has arrived,” Vice-Chancellor Olatunji-Bello told University World News.

According to her, partnerships with non-governmental organisations and government agencies alike have allowed them to explore the provision of student services, despite the fact that these services are still in their infancy.

“Since SGBV requires a multisectoral approach, the cost and other seeming challenges of GBV services delivery are being mitigated via collaborations and partnerships with government agencies, non-governmental organisations and international bodies,” the vice-chancellor said.

In the case of Babcock, Suleiman said the university collaborates with NGOs and its immediate community, leaders and groups to raise awareness, provide resources and implement intervention programmes. “BU also makes available contact phone numbers which allow students to seek help from professional counsellors,” he said.