Oxfam, University of Karachi sign MoU to curb harassment

KARACHI: The Oxfam and the University of Karachi signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to curb incidents of harassment at the educational institutions through safety mechanisms and to create awareness amongst students and staff on the issues of gender violence.

The MoU was signed by the Vice Chancellor of University of Karachi Professor Dr. Khalid M. Iraqi and Oxfam in Pakistan’s Gender Specialist, Sartaj Abbasi on behalf of the Country Director, Oxfam in Pakistan on Thursday. The agreement highlights Oxfam’s commitment to reduce incidences of abuse and harassment in the educational institutes and to strengthen reporting mechanism to help victims demand accountability against such incidents. It will also create awareness amongst students, academia and staff about gender based violence.

The Oxfam Pakistan’s Country Director, Syed Shahnawaz Ali his message, stressed the need for making laws and committees on sexual harassment more accessible and responsive to the victims in varsities, mostly students, and underscored the importance of understanding, and creating awareness about legal platforms already available to take perpetrators to task and support the survivors of assault.

The Vice Chancellor of University of Karachi Professor Dr.Khalid M. Iraqi praised the project for addressing the rising and unaddressed harassment in educational institutions. He commended this initiative aimed at sensitization and providing technical support to Universities to highlight and prevent cases of harassment in academic settings. The MoU is part of Oxfam’s Ending Violence against Women and Girls through Edutainment Project which is funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Australia. Under this project, Oxfam is working with 20 universities in Karachi to raise awareness on sexual harassment, gender-based violence, youth empowerment and development.