TO FIGHT RAPE AND RIGHTS ABUSE, ANEEJ LAUNCHES VIDEO SKIT ‘BUSTED’
Press Release
7th December, 2016
Benin City, Nigeria…The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, is set to launch its maiden video skit titled BUSTED, as an innovative multimedia instrument to address issues of rape and abuse of human rights at the three tiers of Nigeria’s educational institutions, and draw attention to the need to establish victim rehab centres in all tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
Sandra Eguagie, RAPEWATCH coordinator and gender officer of ANEEJ said that the launch of the maiden video will take place as part of the line-up of activities for this year’s international Human Rights Day, December 10 2016.
‘Sexual harassment is a form of abuse of power. This affects the rights of women and of the teenage girls who are the victims of rape and sexual harassment. It erodes their dignity. Not only that, it keeps victims in constant fear and deprives them of their rights to full educational, social and economic benefits’, Eguagie said in a statement to journalists.
The video skit received high approval ratings at a 2016 seminar on Script writing for young dramatists, producers and directors, organized by HomeVida and SACE, a USAID agency for development. It was adjudged above average in content, theme, characterization and plot. Its story line runs along tiers of harassment by primary, secondary school teachers and university lecturers seeking sexual gratification for marks. Its didactic theme centred on the need for collaboration between the victims, security institutions and civil society organizations working closely with the educational institutions.
‘As we celebrate world Human Rights Day, let us take a stand and defend the rights of sexually harassed victims/persons. Women and teenage girls have a right to be free from sexual harassment. We hope that through this video skit, our girls and women and children, and even men who have been sexually abused will begin to speak out, so as to stamp the rape menace from society once and for all. We will also be advocating for the quick passage of the sexual harassment bill into law and the introduction of a sexual harassment policy in all educational institutions’, Eguagie said.