THE ROLE OF THE SUG AND PARLIAMENT IN ENDING SEXUAL VIOLENCE ON CAMPUS

1. THE ROLE OF THE SUG AND PARLIAMENT IN ENDING SEXUAL VIOLENCE ON CAMPUS A paper presented at the legislative workshop and Inauguration of the Youth Against Sexual Violence Club at the University of Calabar. 8/8/08 By Kate Ibeanusi Prog. Officer- Human Rights Education, Project Alert on Violence Against Women.

2. What is sexual Violence (SV)? • SV refers to any form of Sexual activity where consent is not obtained or freely given. • It is a sexual act that is forced against someone’s will. • These acts can be physical, verbal and psychological

3. Sexual Violence can be said to have occurred if the following takes place: • A completed sexual act. • An attempted but (but not completed) sex act. • An abusive sexual contact i. intentional touching/fondling of genitalia, breast, buttocks etc. • Non Contact sexual abuse. This is not physical but verbal and behavioural in nature including threats of sexual violence.

4. Forms of Sexual Violence These includes: • Rape/Attempted Rape • Incest • Sexual Assault • Sexual Harassment

5. Common circumstances of occurrence Sexual violence can occur in any of the following circumstances in tertiary institutions: • During a date: acquaintance /date rape accounts for most of the rape on campus. They are most times known to the victims. • AFTER EXCESSIVE CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL

6. CULTISM: severalincidences of rape on campus are cult related. • PEER PRESSURE/INFLUENCE: by fellow students and teachers already involved in the act of SV. • INDECENT DRESSING: not necessarily the main cause but a contributory factor. This applies to both male and female. • NOT BEING SECURITY CONCIOUS • STALKING

7. Prevention strategies This should ultimately reduce the risk of exposure to SV . • What to do to reduce of SV • Trust your instincts. • Set limits on sexual activity. • Be aware of intrusion in your personal space, it may be a sign of not respecting your boundaries.

8. Prevention contd. • Go out in group dates if possible. • Clearly communicate what you want or don’t want. • DRESS DECENTLY. • Be observant and aware of your surroundings.

9. What the student body (SUG/Parliament) can do? • Participate in activities aimed at sensitizing students in particular and the university community in general on the physical, sexual and psychological consequences of SV on campus. • Organize sexual violence orientation programme for students. • Organize regular hostel talks on alcohol, cultism, indecent dressing and its direct link to SV

10. Contd. • Carry out advocacy campaigns on campus to speak against SV. • Help the school authority in their duty to create an enabling and conducive learning environment. • Engage and encourage the school authority to develop a sexual violence policy that demonstrate their recognition of the problem of Sv.

11. Contd. • Campaign for the inclusion of SV in the schools disciplinary code and procedure, stipulating that such conduct is considered serious misconduct. • Ensure that defaulters are brought to book and punished appropriately. • Thank You.