By Kodjo Adams
Accra, Dec. 16, GNA – Humanity Connect, a social club, has organised a sensitisation workshop for students of University of Ghana to create awareness about sexual harassment.
Dr Anita Baku, Secretary, Humanity Connect, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said they had observed that there were many incidents of sexual harassment and needed to create the awareness for victims to seek redress.
The programme was supported by the Global Greengrants Fund, USA and Global Greengrants Fund UK.
She said the University had a policy on sexual harassment, but most of the students were not aware of it, and didn’t even know the process they must go through for redress.
The policy defines prohibited conduct, outlines the procedures for reporting violations, conduct of investigations, sanctions, non-retaliatory mechanisms, and establishes the anti-sexual harassment committee.
It seeks to provide an atmosphere of work and study in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity.
“The university, during the orientation process, educates the students on the policy, but with the first-year students, when they come, there is this euphoria with getting admission, trying to settle, and they may not focus on the policy until they experience the act,” she said.
The club, she stated, sought funding from its partners to create awareness about the policy to the students and the processes and how they could seek redress if sexual harassment happened to them.
Dr Baku said the university provided counselling services to victims of sexual harassment because it was a form of abuse that may affect them throughout life if not taken care of.
She advised victims of sexual harassment to report the incident to the University’s sexual harassment committee backed with evidence for redress.
Perpetrators of such acts may face sanctions including formal apology, denial of promotion, transfers, and dismissal.
GNA