Olabisi Deji-Folutile
I am a product of the University of Lagos and proudly so too. I feel good when I introduce myself as an ex-Akokite.
I naturally align myself with anyone working for the progress of my
alma mater and resist anything that could tarnish its image. That was
why I joined other great Akokites to resist the unpopular decision of former President Goodluck Jonathan to rename the university. And I’m glad we succeeded.
For me, securing admission to the
‘flagship’ of Nigerian universities was no mean feat. I did not only
burn the midnight oil, I tried ‘burning’ some in daylight just to get
in. My cousin who was a UNILAG student then had told me that the
university was very competitive. He said I needed a minimum of nine
points in my Advanced Level result to qualify for admission. God’s grace
coupled with my hard work helped. I got 11 points. So I had a smooth
cruise to my dream university.
However,
whatever fond memories I have of my alma mater now are sometimes marred
by the ugly incident of sexual harassment I was forced to endure on
campus. Of course it is always good to bury our painful pasts in the
ocean of forgetfulness, because that is where they actually belong, I
sometimes struggle to do so. I feel a gush of disgust whenever I hear
about cases of rape or attempted rape on any campus in the country. So
you can imagine how saddened I was when I read reports of a teenager
raped while seeking admission to UNILAG.
To think that an innocent teenager could
be defiled within the walls of a university community is sickening. And
seeing that all that the university could do in this case was to simply
disown the lecturer alleged to have perpetrated the heinous act is
shocking. Shortly after the university’s denial of any deal with the
rape suspect, another lady, now married, accused the same lecturer of
attempting to rape her.
It is ridiculous that at a time when
universities across the world are thinking of better ways to handle
cases of sexual harassment, the best UNILAG could do to protect its own
students is to engage in unnecessary defence almost to the point of
stupidity.
In my time, there were no official
channels of reporting erring lecturers. All I could do was to ask some
people to appeal to my lecturer to leave me alone. Unfortunately, some
of the people I asked to help me told me to give my lecturer what he
wanted. It was that bad.
Though I was not raped, I was seriously
harassed if you consider what constitutes sexual harassment in
universities in other climes. For example, in Harvard, any unwelcome
conduct of a sexual nature that is sufficiently severe, persistent or
pervasive, that it interferes with or limits a person’s ability to
participate in or benefit from the university’s education or work
programme or activities is defined as sexual harassment. My supervisor
refused to guide me through writing my final year project because I did
not allow him to sleep with me. Imagine that.
UNILAG was setting up a panel to
investigate a case that it had technically denied existed. To help the
university in facing reality for the sake of others who are probably
suffering in silence, I would like the authorities to know that I was a
regular student when I was sexually harassed on its campus. My
lecturer then was a full-time lecturer. And despite being desperate
for help, I couldn’t get any.
There is no point playing the ostrich in
this matter. UNILAG cannot afford to bury its head in the sand. Sexual
harassment is not peculiar to Nigerian universities. It is a well
established phenomenon. It happens even in well-established universities
all over the world. A recent survey by the Telegraph in the UK found that one in three female undergraduates has some experience of sexual assault while on campus.
Also, a survey of 2,126 students of
Cambridge University by the Women’s campaign last year found that more
than three quarters of the students had experienced harassment while 30
per cent said they had been sexually assaulted. At Egerton University in
Kenya, at least two female students are said to drop out of school
yearly due to the problem of sexual harassment.
The only difference between universities
in the developed ones and the ones in Africa is that while they are
taking pragmatic steps to solve the problem, African universities are
pretending as if it does not exist. But the earlier the students are
protected, the better for everyone.
Both Harvard and Cambridge have well
documented policies on sexual harassment. They consider it a serious
offence. Everybody is well-protected – both the lecturers and the
students. Apart from their well- articulated policies, they also
provide counselling services for traumatised victims. In spite of these
provisions, their students are still complaining and they are asking for
better policies. They think what the universities are using as working
documents should be reviewed in conformity with the latest dynamics of
the problem. To them, the policies are 10 years out-of-date.
Nigerian universities should emulate
their counterparts in the developed world by formulating policies and
procedures for responding to cases of sexual harassment. They should
establish formal channels of communication where students can report
cases of harassment.
Students should know where to go for help
when they are harassed by randy lecturers. They should have access to
names, emails and phone numbers of people that could be contacted when
in trouble. Victims should also be assured of being protected and that
they will not be victimised.
Nigerian universities should understand
that those who engage in acts of sexual harassment are not likely to
stop unless they are challenged. If the lecturers know that their jobs
would be on the line if caught, they will exercise some caution. But as
long as they think the system is there to protect them, they will
continue to perpetrate this heinous crime against women.
Source: PUNCH
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