The
Nigerian Senate just passed the “Sexual Harassment Bill” that will have
lecturers who sexually harass students facing the wrath of the law.
Students
can now look forward to learning in a safe environment.
The
Bill which was read the third time and passed, was a sequel to the
consideration of the report of the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and
Legal Matters presented by the Chairman, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, All
Progressives Congress, APC, Ekiti Central.
The
bill, according to is titled “A Bill for an Act to Prevent, Prohibit and
Redress Sexual Harassment of Students in Tertiary Educational Institutions and
for other matters connected therewith 2019” but is popularly tagged “Sexual
Harassment Bill,” was sponsored by the Deputy Senate President, Ovie
Omo-Agege, and co-sponsored by 105 other Senators.
The
bill states that those convicted would face a minimum jail term of 5 years, and
it could go up to 14 years, with no option of fine.
The
offences include:
- 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,
- or 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,
- or 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.
- Students found to be falsely accusing a lecturer will face expulsion.
However,
there are a few stages to get this signed into law, we look forward to the
phase of President Muhammadu Buhari approving the bill into law.
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