SENATORS have passed a bill punishing sexual harassment by lecturers in institutions of higher learning with a maximum five-year jail term or N5m (£12,800) fine or both in response to the growing menace across Nigeria.
Over recent years, sexual harassment in Nigeria's tertiary institutions has reached epidemic proportions with female students routinely failed for declining favours from male lecturers. In response to the crisis, the senate has passed a new law that also abolishes the consent defence claim by sexual assault and rape suspects, as currently contained in Nigeria's criminal and penal codes.
This new bill stipulates that any educator shall be guilty of committing an offence of sexual harassment against a student, if he or she has sexual intercourse with a student who is less than 18 years of age, an imbecile or of generally low mental capacity or blind or deaf or otherwise physically challenged. It also categorises it as an offence when such a person has sexual intercourse with a student or demands for sex from a student or a prospective student as a condition to giving a grade or the granting of honours and scholarships, or the payment of stipend, allowance or other benefits, privileges or considerations.
Furthermore, the bill states: "An educator shall be guilty of committing an offence of sexual harassment against a student if he or she solicits sex from or makes sexual advances towards a student when the sexual solicitation or sexual advances result in an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment for the student.
“Or directs or induces another person to commit any act of sexual harassment under this bill, or cooperates in the commission of sexual harassment by another person without which it would not have been committed, grabs or hugs or rubs or strokes or touches or pinches the breasts or hair or lips or buttocks or any other sensual parts of the body of a student. Or displays, gives or sends by hand or courier or electronic means or any other means, naked or sexually explicit pictures or videos or sex related objects to a student."
In addition, the bill makes an offence to whistle or wink at a student or scream or make
exclaims or jokes, sexually complimentary or uncomplimentary remarks about a student’s physique. Known as the Bill for an Act to Make Provision for the Prohibition and Punishment of Sexual Harassment of Students by Educators in Tertiary Educational Institutions and for Related Matters, was sponsored by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege from Delta Central senatorial district.
Senator Omo-Agege, said: “You will recall that immediately I got into the Senate, the first and major bill I sponsored was a bill to prohibit sexual harassment of students in our tertiary institutions. We did that because we felt that this menace had been there for so long and it had gone unchecked but we have had our daughters, our sisters, our nieces and wives and students who have been harassed and nothing was done.”
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