Sexual Harassment In Tertiary Institution Bill Scales Second Reading

The sexual harassment in the tertiary institution bill has scaled through the second reading at the Senate.

The bill, sponsored by the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, proposes a 14-year jail term for offenders.

The bill clearly defines sexual offences as including sexual intercourse with a student or demands for sex from a student or a prospective student or intimidating or creating a hostile or offensive environment for the student by soliciting for sex or making sexual advances.

Other forms of sexual harassment identified in the bill are grabbing, hugging, kissing, rubbing, stroking, touching, pinching the breasts or hair or lips or hips or buttocks or any other sensual part of the body of a student; or sending by hand or courier or electronic or any other means naked or sexually explicit pictures or videos or sex-related objects to a student, and whistling or winking at a student or screaming, exclaiming, joking or making sexually complimentary or uncomplimentary remarks about a student’s physique or stalking a student.

According to the Omo-Agege, “The strongest and most effective way to deal with the offence of sexual harassment in tertiary institutions is to penalise the very impropriety of the act, with or without consent, by making consent immaterial once the act is established.”