Sexual Harassment: Senate's Proposed Punishment Not Stiff Enough

A non-governmental organisation, Women and Children Education Foundation (WOMCEF) has flayed the National Assembly ‘s proposed 14-year jail punishment for lecturers found sexually harassing students, saying that it’s not stiff enough in view of the consequences on Nigeria’s education sector.

The founder of WOMCEF, Mrs Glorious Amalu – Jack, said that most of the lecturers in the teaching institutions were married men and taking advantage of female children entrusted to them was criminal and deserving of severe consequences.

Amalu – Jack, who is also an author, disclosed these during the launch of her book, Campus Story (Misunderstood Love), in Abuja over the weekend. She said that the Nigerian higher education system faced a dual crisis: the pervasive scourge of sexual harassment and a declining culture of critical reading.

“The poor education outcomes everyone is complaining about today, is as a result of the activities of these lecturers. We are having half-baked graduates who could have done better were it not for the actions of these nefarious lecturers, “she said.

Recall that the National Assembly just passed the Sexual Harassment of Students (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill, 2025, which criminalises sexual misconduct in educational institutions and prescribes a maximum of 14 years imprisonment for convicted educators.

The bill now awaits presidential assent to become law, aimed at eradicating “sex-for-grades” scandals in the nation’s educational institutions.

Amalu – Jack, who also blamed some institutions for cover-ups, said punishment should be extended to anyone found culpable.

“You see, most of these schools want to cover the perpetrators, and that is why it keeps lingering. So, what do you intend to gain when you cover your teacher? The teacher doesn’t pay you. You are the one paying the teacher, whereas a student pays you to be taught. So, why should you cover the perpetrator?”

Meanwhile, the author and founder of WOMCEF noted that the WOMCEF Campus Story Initiative aimed to tackle the menace of sexual harassment on campuses and the lack of reading culture among young people.

She said the vision was to prepare future undergraduates to uphold professional boundaries, identify lecturers’ inappropriate behaviour and revitalise intellectual curiosity.

Amalu- Jack who flagged off the Reading Pageant- Intellectual Competition based on her book, Campus Love, said participants would be evaluated on depth of understanding of the book’s themes, character motivations, and the consequences of actions depicted.

Others, she said, included the ability to debate the scenarios in the book and relate them to real-life campus situations, as well as present opinions clearly and persuasively. Contestants will also suggest practical measures to improve safety and ethics on their own campuses.

“Why are we taking this route? Our children are leaving reading. They prefer to participate in competitions where they can expose their bodies and receive recognition and money.

“So, now, we are taking care of those who are reading at all. Read and you will be rewarded. We have the proceeds from the book. We are giving out N23 million.

“The first contestant goes home with N10 million, the second one, N8 million and the other one, N7 million.”

The founder of WOMCEF called on university administration and other stakeholders to adopt Campus Story (Misunderstood Love) as a recommended text for orientation and ethics programme.

“Campus Story is more than a book; it is the heart of a movement. By using this powerful story as our foundation, the WOMCEF Campus Story Initiative provides a unique, empathetic and intellectually rigorous pathway to safer, more enlightened campuses.

“We are not just talking about change, we are providing tools to read it, understand it and live it.”

Amalu – Jack who said the target is to have one million reads in three months, added that the foundation was waiting to see the institution with the highest number of readers, the best safe learning environment and above all, to see the school with the best lecturer.