The bill includes provisions prohibiting educators from engaging in relationships with their students. In such cases, lecturers must choose from four options: end the relationship, marry immediately, resign from the teaching position, or the student will drop out of school.
The Nigerian National Assembly has approved a bill designed to enforce comprehensive measures preventing and penalizing sexual harassment by educators in tertiary institutions. The Senate initially passed a bill in 2020, imposing up to 14 years in prison for teachers found guilty of molesting students. However, discrepancies existed between the Senate and the House of Representatives’ provisions.
During Wednesday’s plenary session, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, presented a report on the negotiated bill, incorporating input from both chambers. Although initially introduced in the Senate in 2016, the House of Representatives had rejected the draft.
Additionally, the National Assembly passed another law mandating the inclusion of preventive measures against sexual and gender-based violence in the curriculum of all secondary education levels in Nigeria. This legislation aims to raise awareness and educate students on preventing such violence in schools nationwide.
In response to the pressing issue of student harassment, a coalition of around 1,000 Nigerian students and the non-governmental organization Women’s Rights and Health Project urgently called for a legislative framework to address this concern.
