Sexual Harassment Prohibition Bill: What is the Punishment for offenders?

The recent passage of the sexual harassment prohibition bill by the Senate is set to protect female students of Nigeria’s tertiary institutions from sexual predators.

There are punishments for rapists as enshrined in the Nigerian constitution, but this bill seeks to protect students in the nation’s tertiary institutions.

Bill Title

“A Bill for an Act to prevent, prohibit and redress sexual harassment of students in tertiary educational institutions and for matters connected therewith, Bill, 2020 passed for third reading in the Senate on Tuesday, June 7, 2020″.

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Rape cases have been on the rise across the nation most recently. The bill, which is sponsored by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie-Omo Agege (Delta Central); is the beginning of a process that we hope can help reverse the ugly trend in Nigerian higher institutions. Some lecturers take advantage of students in sex for grade scandal.

The importance of Sexual harassment prohibition bill

Reacting to the passage of the bill; Senate President Ahmed Lawan said: “there is a need to protect our sisters, our daughters and our mothers from predators.

“We want our tertiary institutions to be very important, be a safe and peaceful learning environment for everyone. This is a legislation that will ensure that wish.”

The bill is a necessary legislative intervention expected to bring sanity and good order to Nigeria’s tertiary institutions. Sex for grade is a scandal that should be abolished.

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The scourge of sexual harassment at our educational institutions cannot be blamed solely for the decline in the educational sector. But at the same time, we cannot rule it out as playing a part in the decay.

The truth here is, academic excellence, hard work, merit, and transparency have been compromised by the ugly trend. This means sex for marks and other sex-related scandals within our tertiary institutions can be addressed finally. With legal backing, superseding any internal rules to check incidences of sexual harassment, it is believed that the new bill that is expected to be signed into law will curb the ugly trend.

The Punishment for Offenders

The Bill as passed proposes 14-year jail term for any tutor found guilty of sexual harassment. Lawmakers during the clause by clause consideration of the bill, differed on the retention of clause seven in the bill.

According to the bill, a commission will be created to investigate and try any tutor accused of a sexual offence. When the lawmakers passed the bill. They also voted for the retention of clause seven, as contained in the bill and recommended by the Committee.

The clause provides for strict liability which makes it unnecessary for prosecutors to prove the intention of the accused, as well as the condition under which the act of sexual harassment was carried out. This means the educator may not have any proof to defend himself if accused of the crime.

The only caveat being that, some dubious student may see it as an opportunity to blackmail. All in all, the pros in this bill does outweigh the cons.

All that is left for this Bill to become law is, the assent of the President Muhammadu Buhari.

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