New Telegraph

Sexual Harassment Bill is against male lecturers, says ASUU President

The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Biodun Ogunyemi has said the recently passed bill on sexual harassmen by the Senate is targeted at male university lecturers
He added that the bill also labels university lecturers as criminals and potential criminals.
Prof. Ogunyemi stated this at the weekend during a townhall meeting with stakeholders in the education sector which held at the University of Jos.
“The bill is discriminatory, it’s targeted at male lecturers and also to label lecturers as criminals and potential criminals.
“ASUU is against sexual harrassment of both female and male students, but we wonder why the Senate’s bill specifically targeted university lecturers while it should be for all in the education sector, we are surprised after our views during the public hearing ASUU raised her objections made their position known that there are laws in the society on sexual harassment, rape and other forms of victimazation, but the Senate promised us that our views will be taken into account if there is a lawband we wonder why the duplication of efforts,” he said.
He said the bill should promote justice in all levels of learning for both female and male students, saying male students could also be raped in one way or other.
The ASUU President added that the Senate should not create a situation where male lecturers will refused teaching or supervising female students since the bill passed has it that male lecturers shouldn’t smile or wink at a female students.
He said ASUU does not support sexual harassment and has established disciplinary committees in all the university campuses to checkmate this.
“What we are saying is that the law should be for general application. Is it only in the universities that we have cases of sexual harassment? Why should the Senate decide to criminalise only male lecturers? That law is bound to fail,” he said.
Ogunyemi noted that sexual harassment is not towards ladies alone, as male students are also affected, adding there are even some female lecturers that harass male students.
“If you are making a law, it should be for general application,” he added.
It would be recalled that the Senate recently passed the bill on sexual harassment in tertiary institutions sponsored by the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege and 106 other senators.

Read Previous

Bayelsa canvasses adequate attention for Primary Healthcare

Read Next

US Education Secretary vows to reopen schools

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *