Sexual harassment must not be sustained, By Ayisha Osori

Nigeria isn’t considered one of 119 international locations with express legal guidelines prohibiting sexual harassment, regardless of being infamous for top ranges of sexual harassment at work (54.5 per cent); sexual harassment of feminine college students, significantly in college (63 per cent); and woeful prosecution charges for all types of gender-based violence.

That is the context inside which the tenth Senate seeks to disregard Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment allegation towards Senate President Akpabio. It’s no idle accusation; this can be a man who was accused of sexual harassment in 2020 and on social media, the folks of Akwa Ibom State, the place Senator Akpabio ruled for eight years, have so much to say on this. It’s no idle accusation for hundreds of thousands of Nigerian girls and women who know the truth. For the reason that coronavirus pandemic, girls and women have used hashtags #WeAreTired, #MeToo, #ArewaMeToo and #SayNoToRape to share probably the most harrowing experiences, sometimes by these recognized to the survivors: brothers, fathers, uncles, household buddies, employers, colleagues, drivers, cooks. The checklist is countless.

We now have had the intercourse for grades scandals uncovering the rot in universities – elevating advocacy for legal guidelines towards sexual harassment in these establishments. We now have heard accusations, at dwelling and overseas, made towards males abusing their positions of authority: pastors (Fatoyinbo, TB Joshua), presidents (Clinton, Jammeh, Mnangagwa); celebrities (DBanj, Weinstein); and bureaucrats within the Africa Union and African Fee on Human and Peoples Rights. We even have information, which is probably going underreported.

Girls go away jobs, lose financial stability, have their lives upended, due to sexual harassment. There are actual prices and the allegations made towards the Senate president must be taken critically by the Senate.

Misogynists typically converse to ‘magnificence’ in several methods. One in every of such is, “you aren’t lovely” i.e. not sexually engaging sufficient for me to need and so subsequently you aren’t rape/harassment worthy. By no means thoughts that infants, toddlers, grandmothers and ladies in burkas will not be protected from rape, as a result of it isn’t about ‘magnificence’ however the lack of management, entitlement and energy over one other individual. This denial of magnificence can be helpful to maintain girls in place.

So why hasn’t the Senate sought to guarantee Nigerians that the allegations will likely be investigated transparently?

It comes again to the information. After we hear, for example, that fifty per cent of girls are sexually harassed at work, we not often translate the data to the variety of rapists and harassers. If we, for the sake of simplicity, translate survivors to criminals, then 5 out of 10 males are sexual predators. Within the Senate, which means a minimum of 50 out of the 105 male senators are predators. For this reason senators of the tenth Meeting can deal with the sexual harassment allegation as a joke, and Senator Olujimi corroborated this along with her defence concerning the jocularity of her colleagues within the Senate. Senator Akpabio is so assured that he casually revealed a trademark of abusers: magnificence politics.

“Take a look at these lovely girls, they’ve come throughout me so many instances, have I ever harassed any of you?”

Misogynists typically converse to ‘magnificence’ in several methods. One in every of such is, “you aren’t lovely” i.e. not sexually engaging sufficient for me to need and so subsequently you aren’t rape/harassment worthy. By no means thoughts that infants, toddlers, grandmothers and ladies in burkas will not be protected from rape, as a result of it isn’t about ‘magnificence’ however the lack of management, entitlement and energy over one other individual. This denial of magnificence can be helpful to maintain girls in place. Generally, “you aren’t lovely” is a code for “nobody else may probably discover you fascinating; you higher stick with me” (your abuser). The second approach is what we heard from Mr Ogunlewe i.e., that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s magnificence is a distraction – “how dare you be lovely?” In different phrases, lovely girls are in charge for his or her harassment.

Third is Senator Akpabio’s approach, which is 2 pronged: Absolution i.e., “I’m surrounded by lovely girls who I’ve not harassed,” in order that negates your accusation. Apart from, what makes you so particular? And, divide and rule: “If she thinks her magnificence is why I harassed her and I’ve not harassed you girls right here earlier than me, then she is saying you aren’t lovely. Hate her, not me.” Disgrace on the ladies who could possibly be heard laughing within the background. It isn’t about magnificence, it’s a few tradition of patriarchy, permissiveness and lack of penalties.

We all know we aren’t protected even in our properties, from kidnap, home violence, rape and abuse; we all know that we aren’t protected at work – from the taunting and crude remarks of colleagues, undesirable consideration, from rape and sexual extortion and harassment, however we can’t know that our state is okay with it in the best way that this case is revealing to us. It isn’t okay – and that’s why the mantra is ‘this injustice can’t be sustained’.

The Nigerians who consider Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan know that there are not any protected public areas for Nigerian girls, irrespective of how excessive they climb. There’s a delusion that privilege protects girls from misogyny and sexual abuse, however the larger a girl goes in society, generally the extra engaging she is for misogynists. There may be extra at stake for her and it turns into that a lot more durable to reveal harassment in a society that’s unforgiving of girls and blames them for every little thing. We all know we aren’t protected even in our properties, from kidnap, home violence, rape and abuse; we all know that we aren’t protected at work – from the taunting and crude remarks of colleagues, undesirable consideration, from rape and sexual extortion and harassment, however we can’t know that our state is okay with it in the best way that this case is revealing to us. It isn’t okay – and that’s why the mantra is ‘this injustice can’t be sustained’.

A Twitter consumer requested: “why is ending rape so contentious and controversial? Why is it producing a lot disagreement?” The Nigerian author, editor, and activist, OluTimehin Adeagbeye quoted the tweet and responded:

It’s contentious as a result of ending rape means ending society as we all know it. Rape is the first device used to maintain girls in examine plus the final word manifestation of males’s unchecked energy in patriarchy. How do you curtail girls you possibly can’t management? And the way do you management girls you possibly can’t rape?

Change the phrases ‘rape’ with sexual harassment’ and the questions and implications are the identical.

Nigeria’s highest law-making physique, the Nationwide Meeting should do a number of issues instantly. One, recognise judicial precedents and raise the unlawful suspension of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan as a consultant of Kogi Central constituency. Two, as rapidly and as transparently as potential make sure that the Senate credibly investigates Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations towards Senator Akpabio, which would require the Senate president and majority chief recusing themselves from the method. Three, the Nationwide Meeting should undertake a good and sensible sexual harassment coverage for all who work within the Nationwide Meeting. Akpabio won’t be the primary man accused of sexual harassment and sadly he won’t be the final – we’d like extra mechanisms in place to guard towards sexual abuse and harassment, and for this we’d like extra Nigerians being implacable of their calls for for reforms.