INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORKS ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN NIGERIA: PERSPECTIVE OF HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS

Abstract

One of the early models for identifying and preventing sexual harassment is the availability of a clear legal framework for
eradicating sexual harassment in academic settings. It is trite to say that sexual harassment is a violation or infringement of a
victim’s rights. When such victims are students, it impedes their productivity level and attracts other grievous consequences. This
study examines the Nigerian legal framework on sexual harassment, students’ experience of sexual harassment by gender,
and institutional knowledge of internal policies on sexual harassment. In addressing these objectives, empirical
methodology was adopted, which involves quantitative and qualitative research with simple mathematical arithmetic, chi
Square test, Pearson correlation, graph and bar chart for measuring the data. Four Hundred and Seventeen (417) male
and female respondents were drawn from the students studying in private and public Universities, Polytechnic, and College of
Education across the South-Western region of Nigeria. The sample was drawn in strata and data collected between the
periods of January to March, 2020 via self-administered questionnaires. On the sole hypothesis raised that there is a significant difference in the need for national legislation and the possibility of the NICN to address sexual harassment without
national legislation, the study found that the National Industrial Court of Nigeria is inadequate for handling sexual harassment
matters in Nigerian Tertiary Institution. The result revealed that female students experienced more of sexual forms, while male
students experienced more of gender harassment, indicating that a clear legal framework is urgently wanting in the academic
settings. It was concluded that there appears to be fragmented legal framework on sexual harassment but there remains a need
for unified legal framework on sexual harassment in Nigeria