The Forum of Women Professors at the University of Uyo has issued a collective condemnation of sexual and gender based violence, calling for decisive action to eliminate the scourge from homes, schools, workplaces and communities across Akwa Ibom State.

The declaration was made during a sensitisation seminar held at Onyema Ugochukwu Hall, Town Campus, University of Uyo, led by the forum's President, Prof. Comfort Etok, who also serves as Director of the Centre for Health, Safety, Security and Environment Studies.

Etok framed the event as a call to action rather than a ceremonial gathering. "We as a group condemn in its entirety all forms of sexual harassment, rape, domestic violence, harmful traditional practices, and online abuse against women and girls," she said, adding that "University of Uyo as a community must be safe for everybody to learn, work and thrive."

She commended the university management for approving the seminar, describing gender based violence as a painful reality that must not be allowed to steal dreams, destroy families, silence voices, claim lives, and overturn destinies.

The forum, she disclosed, had engaged with the gender based violence programme ahead of the seminar, designing and placing suggestion boxes across all faculties to provide an anonymous channel for those affected. Counsellors within the forum were also made available to support victims.

Etok extended the charge beyond the university, urging traditional rulers, religious leaders and community heads across the state's 31 local government areas to take ownership of the fight. She noted that stigma and family pressure to resolve cases privately continued to suppress reporting. "I am telling our fathers, brothers and husbands to speak up. Silence is complicity," she stated. "If you see it, report it. If you hear it, stop it."

She raised concern over the rising incidence of online sexual harassment targeting female students in tertiary institutions and challenged the state government to domesticate and fully fund the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act.

The Director of the Centre for Gender Studies and seminar organiser, Prof. Comfort Usoroh, a survivor of gender based violence, confirmed the seminar would be sustained as a continuous awareness initiative.

The event also featured the inauguration of the University of Uyo Gender Ambassadors, with the wife of the Vice Chancellor serving as matron. Undergraduate law students staged a drama sketch depicting a female student whose life was cut short by the immoral demands of a lecturer.