Students want to join the fight against sexual harassment

The student leadership at Uganda’s Makerere University, one of the oldest universities in Africa, wants to be included in the implementation of the university’s policy on sexual harassment aimed at eliminating abuse at the institution.

Makerere’s sexual harassment policy was revised in 2018 and requires lecturers and all staff to declare if they have relationships with their students.

In addition, the policy states that all sexual harassment complaints by students should be channelled through the directorate of gender mainstreaming rather than heads of department, to minimise possible retaliatory action against victims.

However, student leaders say the policy has not been availed to student leaders to disseminate and that they are ignorant about the reporting procedures due to poor sensitisation.

Shamim Nambassa, the student guild president, said that, if student leaders are not part of the dissemination and implementation process, efforts by the top management will remain ineffective.

She said the policy should be shared with the class representatives who are the link between students and the top management.

This was at a meeting organised by the gender mainstreaming directorate at the university as part of the institution’s observation of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence.

Reporting

Maureen Nabukera, a class representative from the school of education, explained that student leaders like herself, who are more accessible to students, should be trained and given the mandate to receive complaints from the students. They are more accessible than staff from the gender mainstreaming directorate.

Rispah Akulo, a student peer educator, said students should be empowered to come out on their own and report sexual harassment and this can only be possible by awareness creation and encouragement.

Dr Euzobia Baine, the director of gender mainstreaming, noted that, while confidence for victims to report cases is still a challenge, a number of cases have been handled since the review of the report.

The gender mainstreaming directorate has received 22 complaints of sexual harassment against the staff of the university since 2019.

Gulu University’s policy

Meanwhile, more public universities in Uganda are implementing anti-sexual harassment policies.

Gulu University, in partnership with Makerere University’s gender mainstreaming directorate and with financial support from United Nations Women under the Safer Universities Project launched in 2019, released its policy in September 2021.

Dr Christine Oryema, one of the team members who formulated the policy, said all complaints of sexual harassment from both students and staff will be received by the sexual harassment focal point person at the university who will notify the office of the vice-chancellor to commission the investigative process.

At Gulu University, an investigative team probes complaints and refers them to the internal university disciplinary systems for action.

The guilty party – whether a staff member or a student – is liable to dismissal, suspension, public apology to the institution or the aggrieved person, demotion, or any other penalty deemed appropriate by the existing internal university disciplinary systems.

Evelyn Drichiru, a student of Gulu University pursuing a degree in agriculture and environment, said the policy will promote a safe environment in which students can interact freely with the lecturers and reduce issues like ‘sex for marks’.

Although the policy states that what women wear is not a valid defence available to perpetrators of sexual harassment, Drichiru appealed to women students to dress appropriately.

Mahmud Khalid, the Gulu University spokesperson, said that the anti-sexual harassment policy will be implemented alongside other legal frameworks like the gender, safeguarding, and whistle-blowing policy as well as a human resource manual and students’ rules and guidelines to ensure that the university is a safer place for all.

“It will ensure zero tolerance to sexual harassment for all,” said Khalid.