2018 World Bank survey: 70 percent of women graduates from Nigerian tertiary institutions have faced sexual harassment from fellow students and lecturers
MINORITY AFRICA
Sokoto, Nigeria (Minority Africa) — Hajiya*, a student at Usmanu Danfodiyo University in Sokoto, decided to take a break from her late-night study session in one of the classes on campus. She stepped outside, found a secluded area, and sat on a long metal bench, chatting with a male friend at the other end. When they noticed a school security officer had seen them, Hajiya’s friend quickly left to avoid unwarranted insinuations. At their university, late-night interactions between men and women were often scrutinised due to its Islamic principles.
To Hajiya’s shock, the security officer approached her and accused her of having sex with her friend and demanded sexual favours in exchange for his silence.
“I engaged him in a mature way, but he insisted on taking me to the security office unless I did what he caught me doing with the guy. He didn’t see us doing anything [as] we were just talking as friends,” Hajiya recounted to Minority Africa. “He started touching me all over my body. He held my hands, dragging me to a very secluded area, until I started shouting for help before he let go of me.”
Despite being a campus journalist, Hajiya chose not to report the incident. She doubted the university’s commitment to justice. “And the fact that I was in the dark with a guy won’t stay out of the story,” she said. “Whatever the case, harassment is harassment, what led to it does not matter. I never believed I could keep silent about it because it happened to me in the most unexpected way. Most of us also keep silent because of stigma.”
Hajiya’s fears are not unfounded. A 2018 World Bank survey revealed that 70% of female graduates from Nigerian tertiary institutions have faced sexual harassment from fellow students and lecturers. The survey, conducted in 19 tertiary institutions across six states, highlighted a lack of clear reporting channels as a major barrier to reporting such incidents.
During a speech at the UN House in Abuja, Minister of Women Affairs Pauline Tallen noted that of over 11,000 recorded rape cases in Nigeria, only 33 culprits had been convicted by 2022. She attributed this dismal statistic to harmful cultural stereotypes, ineffective law enforcement, toxic misogyny, and insufficient support for survivors.
Despite ongoing sexual harassment issues in schools and other places in Nigeria, a bill introduced in 2016 to criminalise sexual harassment, particularly in tertiary institutions, has languished in the National Assembly for eight years.
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