A bill prohibiting sexual
harassment of students by educators in tertiary educational institutions has
scaled second reading at the senate.The bill, which was debated on Today, received the
endorsement of many lawmakers.Leading the debate on the bill, Ovie Omo-Agege, a
senator from Delta central, argued that sexual harassment was rife in many
higher institutions of learning in Nigeria, hence the need for a law outlawing
the vice.
On his facebook page, Senate President Bukola Saraki reiterated
his support for the bill:
“Today at the Nigerian Senate, we passed a
Bill to Criminalize Sexual Harassment in Nigerian Universities for its Second
Reading.
Many young Nigerian boys
and girls suffer at the hands of lecturers, fellow students and those in
administrative positions of power when they seek to further their education in
our universities.
This bill, once passed and
signed into law, will help stamp out all forms of harassment to make our
schools more conducive for our students.
I can attest to the fact
that I have received anonymous emails and messages urging the Senate to make
sexual harassment in our universities a criminal offence. In this regard, as we
have taken this pivotal step to get this bill off the ground, I enjoin members
of the civil society and students across the country to join in the process to
make sure that this bill is passed and signed, so that students can receive the
protection and backing of the law as they pursue their education”.
No comments:
Post a Comment