Harassment: CIAPS Inaugurates NgrCampus Students Help Desk

Funmi Ogundare

In an effort to stem the tide of sexual harassment, intimidation and other forms of abuse in tertiary institutions, the Centre for International and Advanced Professional Studies (CIAPS) has inaugurated NgrCampus Student Help Desk.

Briefing journalists recently in Lagos, the Director of the centre and a Professor of Strategic Studies, Anthony Kila, said the platform will provide an avenue for expression of ideas and information for students facing such ordeal in tertiary institutions, adding that such confidential information will be kept anonymous.

According to him, research has shown that students and other members of higher institutions face and witness various forms of harassment, intimidation, as well as other forms of abuse without having informal, but organised expert ears to talk to.”

He said such lacuna has encouraged impunity and a sense of helplessness, adding the help desk will help to solve such problems.

“It tells us that we are guilty because nobody is saying anything about it. We have failed the students because we feel their grades are more important than slamming the institution. The students must have the confidence to know that there will be consequence for impunity,” Kila stressed.

He said the NgrCampus will be managed by a team of experts of legal affairs, psychologists, trained counsellors and people with good understanding of university affairs.

“Our hope is to reach every institution of learning in Nigeria and ensure that we fight the sense of impunity so that everybody is accountable. One of the problems we have in this country is that bad people are not afraid, only the good people are. They are afraid of people that will oppress them. We will be able to fight helplessness and impunity, through investigation so as to reduce the incidence.”

He however expressed concern that a society that does not pay special attention to the formation of its young minds cannot be a great society, saying, “There is need for the society to find a sense of hope to stop being helpless but also take their destinies in their hands. As students or parents, they should be able to think of ways of helping this initiative either through reporting those issues or supporting it.”