Survey finds 63% of female students are sexually harassed

At least 63% of female students in Nigerian universities experience sexual harassment at the hands of staff and fellow students, a new report has found. Meanwhile, an anti-harassment bill drafted in 2019 still awaits presidential assent to make it law.

The report, National Campus Climate Baseline Survey on Sexual Harassment in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions, was launched by Alliances for Africa, the Committee of Gender Directors in Nigerian Universities, and top government officials, including Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, at a national summit on sexual harassment in tertiary education institutions in Abuja on Monday 25 November.

Based on a survey conducted in 12 Nigerian universities across the southern and northern regions, the report was informed by the pervasive nature of sexual harassment in universities, its detrimental effects on students’ educational experiences, its effects on students’ psychological well-being, and the dearth of comprehensive data on the prevalence of sexual harassment within universities.

The researchers surveyed 3,528 respondents in total, comprising 2,222 students – 67% female students and 32% male students – and 1,285 staff, consisting of 55% academic staff and 45% non-academic staff. (Among the 3,528 respondents, 21 did not identify as either students or staff.)

“Sixty-three percent of female students reported experiencing sexual harassment … Among staff-related perpetrators, 26% were non-academic staff and 24% were academic staff. Alarmingly, 66% of female students reported experiencing harassment perpetrated by their fellow students. Forty percent of non-academic staff and 30% of academic staff reported personal experiences of sexual harassment within their institutions,” the report stated.

The study revealed that 89% of respondents advocated the implementation of anonymous reporting mechanisms to encourage victims to come forward without fear of reprisal, while 71% of the respondents expressed scepticism over their institutions’ ability or willingness to provide adequate support or protective measures for survivors of sexual harassment.

Culture of silence

A culture of silence and underreporting was found to be rampant, with more than 80% of respondents attributing it to fear of stigmatisation, absence of adequate institutional support, power imbalances between victims and perpetrators, lack of clear policies and procedures for reporting incidents, and societal norms and perceptions that discourage survivors from speaking out.

“Victims often fear being harmed or punished by the perpetrator or their associates; they worry that they will not be believed or be labelled as a ‘troublemaker’ or ‘liar’, the report said.

“The victims feel ashamed or embarrassed about the experience. Findings indicate that many survivors do not know where to report sexual harassment or where to go for help. The majority of the survivors also lack the support of friends, family and professionals. Perpetrators face minimal consequences, thereby discouraging victims from coming forward.”

The report recommended the establishment of well-equipped gender centres to manage sexual harassment; provision of easily accessible helplines and reporting mechanisms; establishment of professional counselling centres and support services for victims; continuous awareness campaigns to educate students, faculty and staff about the implications of sexual harassment; training of students, gender centre staff and faculty on sexual harassment intervention, prevention, and self-defence; and a general course on gender studies for entry-level university students.

“Participants called for institutions to adopt and enforce a zero-tolerance policy against sexual harassment. This includes imposing severe disciplinary actions such as expulsion of students or legal consequences for perpetrators. Institutions should ensure transparency and accountability in the handling of sexual harassment cases and conduct thorough and independent investigations of all sexual harassment complaints,” the report stated.

Delays in legislation

Following a spate of sexual harassment cases in higher educational institutions, in 2019 the Nigerian Senate, the upper law-making body, proposed legislation aimed at preventing, prohibiting, and redressing sexual harassment of students in tertiary educational institutions. The proposed bill prescribes 14 years’ imprisonment for any academic found guilty of sexual misconduct against students.

However, more than four years after the senate passed the bill, it still awaits presidential assent to make it law.

Former president Muhammadu Buhari failed to sign the bill during his term, and incumbent President Bola Tinubu has yet to do so, one year after his aide assured Nigerians of the president’s support for the bill.

Culture of impunity

Some civil society organisations (CSOs) told University World News that the prolonged delay encourages a culture of impunity and worsens sexual harassment in universities.

“This is not a surprising report. We are all aware of the menace of sexual harassment in universities. There is hardly a year that goes by that one or more stories about this criminal behaviour by persons in authority in our universities don’t come out,” said the executive director of Project Alert on Violence Against Women, Josephine Effah-Chukwuma.

“No university has been spared. We call on the government to stop playing politics with the lives of female students in Nigerian universities. The needful should be done in terms of assenting to the sexual harassment bill so that we can curb the menace,” she added.

Peju Oduye-Quadri, secretary general of the African Women Lawyers’ Association, told University World News the association, together with other CSOs, will intensify their advocacy, noting that the bill, if passed to law, “will go a long way in curbing sexual harassment in our institutions”.

“It may not necessarily stop sexual harassment completely, but at least it is the right step in the right direction. Some people, once they know there is a law, will be deterred. We will re-strategise and push more for its signing by the president,” she said.

Calls by minister

At the sexual harassment summit in Abuja, Minister of Women Affairs Sulaiman-Ibrahim urged all universities to set up Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) to deal with sexual harassment and ensure timely responses to complaints. She said sexual harassment not only inflicts physical harm, but also leaves survivors with emotional, psychological, and socio-economic scars.

“The ministry [of women affairs] will partner with the Federal Ministry of Education, universities, and relevant agencies to launch nationwide initiatives to raise awareness about sexual harassment, challenge gender stereotypes and foster a culture of accountability and respect on campuses.

“Currently, we have only 47 SARCs spread across 22 [out of 36] states in the country and the Federal Capital Territory. This is just a drop in the ocean. As we intensify advocacy around the issues, based on the findings of this report, the need for case referrals will no doubt increase,” the minister said.