The Centre for Gender Studies at Gombe State University says it has received no formal complaint of sexual harassment since the institution introduced its sexual harassment policy, despite reports of alleged incidents within the university community.
The centre’s Director, Dr Aishatu Abubakar-Kumo, disclosed this during an awareness walk organised to educate students and staff on sexual harassment, prevention measures and the procedures for reporting violations.
She, however, cautioned against interpreting the absence of formal complaints as evidence that sexual harassment was not occurring, urging members of the university community to speak up and use the available reporting channels.
“There is none that has been brought to us. But we have heard that this and this and this is happening. So, we told them our doors are open. You have to have evidence; just bring your complaint and we are going to follow up with it,” she said.
Abubakar-Kumo explained that the campaign was intended to familiarise students and staff with the policy, clarify behaviours that constitute sexual harassment and promote a safe and respectful learning environment.
She added that the university introduced the policy in April but was unable to organise the awareness walk immediately after its launch.
According to her, physical copies of the document have been distributed to various offices, while electronic versions are being shared on online platforms to make them accessible to members of the university community.
“We want to make sure that almost everybody is aware of the policy and understands the rules and regulations and abides by them so that we can have a peaceful and respectful environment where students can feel free to study and live like a home,” she said.
The director disclosed that the university had appointed desk officers across departments and units to receive complaints, adding that about 50 officers were operating across the main campus, Dukku and other university locations.
She encouraged students not only to report incidents affecting them directly but also to intervene appropriately when they witnessed harassment involving others.
Abubakar-Kumo said bystanders could contribute to preventing sexual harassment by speaking up or alerting the appropriate authorities whenever they observed inappropriate conduct.
“Even as a bystander, if you see something happening, what do you do? How can you help? You can just say a word or two. If you can find a way of reporting it, our doors are open,” she said.
The Director also urged students to use their smartphones responsibly to document incidents where possible, particularly when they needed evidence to support a complaint.
“They have smartphones, so they can utilise their smartphones to catch anybody who is trying to harass them, whether a lecturer, any student or anybody,” she said.
Abubakar-Kumo stressed that the complaint mechanism was open to all members of the university community, regardless of their position or status.
“Our doors are open to all, irrespective of your position in the university,” she pointed out.
The awareness walk commenced at the Rashidi Multipurpose Hall and covered several locations within the university, including the faculties of Social Sciences, Education and Science, student hostels, the medical college, part-time and Open Distance Learning areas, the library and postgraduate facilities, before ending at the T-junction.
Abubakar-Kumo said the university provided water and an ambulance for participants during the exercise, adding that no incident was recorded.
She urged students and staff to study the policy to understand the behaviours it prohibits and the appropriate steps to take when confronted with suspected harassment.
“My advice is for all the university community to study the document. If you study the document, you understand what is meant by sexual harassment,” she said.
She disclosed that the university was developing mechanisms to investigate allegations and ensure that complaints received were properly addressed.
The director maintained that the absence of documented cases made it difficult to determine the prevalence of sexual harassment within the institution.
“We cannot say it is not happening, but we cannot specifically say this is the rate because they did not complain. If somebody did not bring the problem to you, you cannot count it,” she said.