By Saheed Ibrahim
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A Professor of Sociology, Olabisi Yusuff, has urged the nation’s universities to provide conducive environment and opportunities for scholars to conduct research that would address Gender-Based Violence in the tertiary institutions.
Yusuff, a lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, made the assertion at the 88th Inaugural Lecture of the institution in Lagos.
The theme of the lecture is: “Gender Equality is To What? What Do Women Want? What Women Should Want From The Triads in Nigeria”.
Yusuff noted that addressing gender-based violence in universities and research organisations was a crucial endeavor.
She said that it would enable a better evidence-based research that is beneficial to humanity.
“Addressing gender-based violence in universities and research organisations also increases the capacity of staff and students to combat it.
“Decreasing violence against women and girls requires a community-based, multi pronged approach and sustained engagement with multiple stakeholders.
“Campaigns that are meaningful such as the use of drama should also be used to create awareness on the health implication of gender-based violence,” Yusuff said.
She added that only women academics were presently involved in women and gender studies as their core area of research because male lecturers always shy away from being gender experts.
“Few male lecturers examined their research work from gender dimension, they can not be tagged as gender experts.
“More male researchers are needed to be seriously involved in women /gender and development studies,” Yusuff said.
The don noted that men could help the change with women in enacting legislation that promote women’s rights, repealing laws and policies that discriminate against women and limit opportunities.
“They can also support the advancement of women in decision making bodies by advocating for temporary special measures.
“In political parties, men and women can work together to champion women’s participation, including nominating more women, having hard targets or quotas for women in leadership roles in the party,” she said.
Yusuff also called for the creation of institute of gender and development studies which would help to bring different areas of knowledge to current issues.
“The institute will help to explore how gender studies and analysis is necessary across numerous disciplines and how the institute will be central to the transformation toward greater sustainability, equality and social justice,” she said.
