The Sexual Harassment bill was passed on Tuesday, 7th July, 2020 by the National Assembly.
It seeks to stop the sexual harassment of female students of Nigeria’s tertiary institutions by lecturers. Included in the bill as offences punishable by law are winking, whistling and sexual compliments.
Having successfully passed third reading, the success follows the review and adoption of the report of the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters headed by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele representing Ekiti Central Senatorial district.
The sexual harassment bill with 27 clauses proposes between 5 to 14-year jail terms with no option of fine for the lecturers found culpable.
Listed among the offences are:
- Sexual intercourse with a student
- Demand for sex from a student or prospective student
- intimidating or creating a hostile or offensive environment for a student by soliciting for sex
- Making sexual advances
- Sending by courier, electronic, hand or any over means, nude or sexually suggestive pictures, sex objects or videos to a student
- Pinching the breasts or or touching the hair, hips, buttocks, lips and or any other part of a student’s body
- Grabbing, hugging, kissing, touching, stroking, rubbing
- Stalking a student
- Whistling, winking, screaming at, joking, exclaiming, or paying sexually suggestive complimentary or uncomplimentary remarks about a student’s physique .
Damning revelations about sexual harassment came to the fore after a BBC expose in August 2019. The documentary revealed the extent of the “pandemic” at the tertiary institutions of learning across Wes Africa.
Read:
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