Two lawyers have said that the enactment of a law against sexual harassment will not effectively check the menace.
The lawyers, including a professor of Law at the University of Lagos, who is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Taiwo Osipitan; and Barrister Gani Taofeek, argued that the re-orientation of female students had become imperative, following the upsurge in the incidence of sexual harassments in schools.
The National Association of Nigerian Students had recently urged the Senate to immediately pass into law the Sexual Harassment Bill in order to curtail the abuse of female students in the nation’s schools.
But Osipitan told our correspondent that energy should not be dissipated on the process of making a law that would not be fully implemented.
He said measures should rather be put in place to re-orientate female students on how to handle such harassments, adding, however, that such a law would only be effective if applied strictly.
Osipitan said, “If NANS is asking for a bill against sexual scandal, that is a justified request. But most universities have codes of conduct. It is wrong on the part of the lecturer to sexually harass a student, but most of the students do not have the courage to come out and shout about harassment. This is due to fear.
“So, if you pass any law as being proposed, there must be ways to come out genuinely and expose people who are sexually harassing them. It is one thing to have a law and another thing to have a follow-up in the way that will ensure that the law is effectively applied. There is no point having a law that is not applied. So, beyond passing that law, we must look at ways and means of encouraging the students to open up and report such incidence of sexual harassment. I wholeheartedly support the call by NANS.”
Taofeek, on his part, said that the bill would not be effective except students and lecturers changed their mentality about leading a good life.
He noted that despite laws passed against corruption, Nigeria still had a high number of corrupt people and even cultism in schools.
Taofeek said, “Such laws can be passed. There are laws against corruption, but there are still corrupt people everywhere; this has to do with the mentality, culture and human being in us. This issue is more beyond the law being passed. This law will only put the fear in individuals because they know the punishment is spelt out.
“Really, this bill will not have a long-lasting effect. There is a law against cultism in schools, but we have cultists in all schools. When these cultists want to strike, everybody is a victim because they can kill anybody, even the innocent. The law will only be symbolic; that after all, the National assembly is not looking the other way round.”
He also added that some students lured lecturers into the act, especially those students looking for cheap
marks.
Taofeek added, “Lecturers, most times, meet students that are not brilliant to demand sex or money. A student, who is brilliant, cannot be trailed by a lecturer. It is when you know you are not brilliant enough that you fall victim, because the student union is there; the student affairs department is there also. There are so many avenues to lay your complaint.
“A good student should have no reason to lure the lecturer. There is no giver and no taker law. If you have not given your lecturer, he will not be lured to ask you for such.”
