THE world celebrated another International Women’s Day (IWD) this past Sunday and as it is usual for the past couple of years when world attention is focused on women, women’s rights and issues have dominated the news, especially within the context of a global reckoning on sexual misconduct against women rippling through the industries. But even as we celebrate this new vista in confronting sexual harassment against women and the possibility of the world becoming more sensitive to the cries and agonies of the victims, there’s still more to be done especially with regard to closeted spaces such as educational institutions where massive sexual harassment goes on without attention with figures showing that women’s dignity and education are critically threatened by recurring sexual harassment and misconduct across the campuses.
Within a span of few months, a randy professor was convicted of sexually harassing a postgraduate female student by demanding many rounds and incidents of sex in exchange for good grades at the famous Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and thereafter jailed; at the University Of Lagos, another senior lecturer and pastor of a renowned church was suspended after he was exposed in a 13-minute video documentary released by the BBC Africa Eye, where he was making amorous advances toward an undercover reporter who disguised as a student seeking admission into the institution. Similarly, at the University of Abuja, a lecturer was recently dismissed after the report of a panel set up to investigate the allegations revealed that the lecturer, a professor, had truly demanded sex from a female undergraduate in exchange for good scores. Sadly, it would seem as if no lesson is being learnt with all these exposures as female students continue to be subjected to horrendous sexual predations by the lecturers and all those who hold power within the educational institutions, knowing that there is nothing in place to really check them as those exposed are only unfortunate to have suffered such accidental exposure. It is the case that no female is immune from the threat of sexual harassment and molestation on the campuses as the lecturers operate with impunity defiling these young students and sending many into depression and a lifetime of mental agony.
To be sure, over the past few years we have been regaled with tales of big time sexual assault scandals from the Nigerian campuses to have a feel that these are commonplace incidents. Yet we know that these headlines only scratch at the extent and depth of the crisis as it is notoriously tough to gather data on the prevalence of sexual misconducts on the campuses with most assaults underreported or unreported. However, the most common estimate is that about one in five female students of tertiary institutions will be the victim of a sexual assault during her years of education sojourn, an estimate backed up by survey from the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women. And showing that the crisis of sexual harassment in higher education institutions is essentially a female problem, estimates on male victims of sexual assault are more variable, but they range from about one in 10 to one in 20 students, telling us that while anybody could experience sexual assault or sexual harassment, it is clear from the data that the female students on the campuses experience these negative behaviours at disproportionately higher rates than the males.
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The implication of this is that we must start to see and approach the issue of sexual harassment on campuses as part of the larger exploitation problem of the females in the society. This means that we must take concerted efforts to address the problem, knowing that it is one stemming from the unusual and unequal power equation to which female students are subjected vis-a-vis the male lecturers. It is a situation demanding radically new intervention to make it difficult for the female students to feel overwhelmed by the power of the lecturers hanging and dangling menacingly over them. We must put in place the environment on campuses that would empower the female students and others within the system who set great store by what is right to be able to monitor and report every case of sexual harassment.
The key therefore is to work toward the emergence of an environment in which the female students know that the system is out to protect and defend them against predators. When they have this assurance, it would not be too difficult for them to stand against unwanted sexual advances from the male lecturers. Building and having in place such kind of environment could be made part of the requirements for accreditation of higher institutions by the different accrediting bodies. This way, we would be integrating the healthy functioning of the female students into the running of the institutions and this would go a long way in showing that the society values its female members and wants them to be free from sexual harassment.
In addition, beyond putting in place a positive environment for the female students, knowing what to do to prevent and handle sexual assault entails knowing the place of bystanders, victims, and alleged perpetrators within the complex web of the school environment. Competent responses by security personnel, administrators, other students and staff would involve treating all parties with respect and due process, holding perpetrators accountable, and ensuring that students, who have been victimized, have the safety and support they need to stay in school in order to finish their studies. In this wise, all higher institutions in the country must be required, as a matter of priority, to work toward a culture of zero tolerance for sexual harassment with each institution being rated on the extent to which it is sticking to and publicizing its efforts in that direction.
Resting on #EachforEqual, which is the theme for IWD 2020, we obviously have yet an opportunity to demonstrate that we value women as equal members of the Nigerian society and are prepared to do everything to ensure that they are not treated as less than equal in the society. One important way of carrying this recognition forward is to not only challenge stereotypes, fight prejudice against women, and celebrate women’s achievements, but to also be able to stand firm against anything detracting from allowing women and girls to live a productive life, chief among which is sexual harassment in the higher institutions. As we join in the extended celebration of women as part of IWD 2020, we must use this opportunity to reflect on how far we are from achieving true gender equality in an atmosphere of rampant sexual harassment of women especially on the campuses and therefore be able to send strong and clear message going forward that all kinds of sexual misconduct and harassment are not desirable and acceptable in the society – certainly not in the citadels of learning and not in any part of the society! That would be one way of showing that we are ready to rid the campuses and the entire society of the gross menace of sexual harassment that has become a veritable threat to girl-child education and the worthy existence of women in the country.
*Yakubu is of the Department of Mass Communication, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria.
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