The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is currently investigating 15 cases of sexual harassment, the commission’s chairperson, Bolaji Owasanoye, said Tuesday.
Mr Owasanoye, who bemoaned the ugly trend of lecturers demanding sexual gratifications from students in higher institutions of learning, said the commission had concluded two other cases of sexual harassment one of which, according to him, ended in the conviction of the suspect.
Highlighting ICPC’s efforts to stem the trend, Mr Owasanoye said the commission was training and retraining its officers on how to handle sexual harassment cases.
“In addition to these, about seventeen (17) reports relating to Sexual Harassment have been received by the Commission, one resulted in a conviction via a plea bargain, one resulted in system study, one criminal case was recently filed in court while some other cases are still ongoing investigation,” he said.
He spoke at a ‘National Stakeholders Engagement on Sexual Harassment in Educational Institutions, co-convened by ICPC and Gender Mobile Initiative with the support of the Ford Foundation.
He said adequate policy formulation, implementation and sensitisation were required to change the culture of silence over the fear of stigmatisation.
The ICPC boss added that the commission would upscale campaigns and public enlightenment against sexual harassment across the Country.
“It has become quite common for teaching and non-teaching staff to demand or expect sexual gratification from their students to whom they are supposed to serve as parents.
“Likewise, senior staff have been found to use their office to demand and at times obtain sexual benefits from their juniors.
Recipients of such unwanted attention find that they feel forced to comply with the unlawful and unethical demands otherwise dire consequences and denial of benefits to which they are entitled would follow.
“The culture of silence out of fear of reprisal and stigmatization has allowed sexual harassment to thrive in some quarters but with sensitization and appropriate policy implementation, it is hoped that this culture would gradually change,” he said.
He said the commission had carried out about seven training and re-training programmes for its officers in Operations, Prosecution and Education and Public Enlightenment Departments.
According to him, the trained officers also conducted training for their colleagues.
Mr Owasanoye also said the commission had partnered with some civil society organisations to carry out training for students while the Education and Public Enlightenment Department had taken up the task of including talks on Sexual Harassment in its different engagements.
Source: premiumtimesng.com
