Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) is advocating enabling laws to address the increasing trend in sexual assault on female students in Kano State.
The communication officer of CITAD, Ali Sabo, disclosed this during a virtual conference organized by CITAD on sexual harassment in higher institutions, supported by Rosa Luxemburg Foundation West Africa.
At the conference, the Executive Director of Centre for Awareness on Justice and Accountability (CAJA) Kabiru Saidu Dakata, has revealed that more than half population of female students studying in higher institutions in Kano state suffered one form of sexual harassment at the institution.
The three hours discussion held on zoom has a theme: ‘Knowledge Production Dialogue Series Between Knowledge Production and Body Abuse: Debating Sexual Harassment in Knowledge Production Centres Confirmation in Kano’.
Dakata who raised concern over the soaring rate of sexual abuse, revealed that recent survey conducted by CAJA across universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in Kano state, indicated that no less than 51.7 percent of female students have suffered some form of assault, abuse or outright rape in the hands of their academic and non-academic staff of their institutions.
The executive director affirmed circumstances where female students approach their male lectures for assistance, he regretted how lecturers usually take cheap advantage of students’ weaknesses to offer sexual commodity in exchange.
He also cited lack of effective channel to report case of sexual abuse, inadequate security to protect students and absence of enabling laws to genuinely punish perpetrators of the heinous act as major predicament why rapists would never repent.
