The Senate on Wednesday debated the sexual harassment bill initiated by Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege.

The bill scaled second reading on the floor of the Senate.

The proposed legislation titled “A bill for an Act to Prevent, Prohibit and Redress Sexual Harassment of Students in Tertiary Educational Institutions and for other matters connected therewith 2019” has 27 clauses.

The bill proposes up to 14 years jail term, with a minimum of 5 years, without an option of fine for any educator who commits sexual offences in tertiary institutions, Igbere TV reports.

The bill defines sexual offences as including sexual intercourse with a student or demands for sex from a student or a prospective student or intimidating or creating a hostile or offensive environment for the student by soliciting for sex or making sexual advances.

Other forms of sexual harassment identified in the bill are grabbing, hugging, kissing, rubbing, stroking, touching, pinching the breasts or hair or lips or hips or buttocks or any other sensual part of the body of a student; or sending by hand or courier or electronic or any other means naked or sexually explicit pictures or videos or sex-related objects to a student, and whistling or winking at a student or screaming, exclaiming, joking or making sexually complimentary or uncomplimentary remarks about a student’s physique or stalking a student.

Senator Omo-Agege, in his lead debate, said: “The most effective way to deal with the offence of sexual harassment in our tertiary institutions is to penalise the very impropriety of the act, with or without consent.”

According to him, sexual harassment must be defined in tertiary educational institutions as statutory rape with strict liability for offenders to be prosecuted easily.

On the extension of the bill to primary, secondary schools, worship centres and workplace, Omo-Agege said doing so will not be necessary because the Criminal and Penal codes already adequately deal with these categories with sufficient clarity.

He, however, stressed that the bill prescribes expulsion for students who falsely accuse educators of sexual harassment.

He said: “An educator whose character is maligned is at liberty to sue for defamation under the law of defamation which is well-settled in our jurisprudence and needs no duplication in this bill.”

The Senate also on Wednesday considered President Muhammadu Buhari’s Finance Bill, 2019 initiated by Senate Leader, Abdullahi Yahaya.

Senator Abdullahi said the bill essentially seeks to promote fiscal equity by mitigating instances of regressive taxation; reforming domestic laws to align with global best practices, and introducing tax incentives for investments in infrastructure and capital markets.

http://igberetvnews.com/1116616/senate-debates-senator-omo-ageges-sexual-harassment-bill/

L

I just smoke weed for the first time guys rejoice with me I'm very happy Goodluck have won 2019 Election.

Akuko

Hope the bill will not hunt the hunter as them na them dey do this thing pass ordinary Nigerians

nice

especially this part

He, however, stressed that the bill prescribes expulsion for students who falsely accuse educators of sexual harassment.

you lie,you leave school!!..I would have preferred,you lie,you do 4 years in jail!

a large percentage of the senators themselves are sexually predators

Who will have the courage to declare unemployment and betting industries a menace in dis country?

Nice bill

Leaders when Mumu...That is how I saw one senator in a hotel in Uk with baddest bitch and expensive drinks flowing like water

Hummm

I dey tells u

This Bill is bad, men no go fit runs things again.

This Bill is SEXIST it does not favour the men.


This Bill is sponsored by feminist.... Nigerians watch out. This Bill favours women rather than men

We don't have the data to know how many women are harrassed in Nigeria.... If the sexual harrasment are really true.

This law shouldn't be ambiguous.

We need more Omo Ageges in the Senate. The man is an intellectual. The sexual harrasment bill is long overdue. Sexual harrassment takes place in organisations, religious place of worship, tertiary institutions, etc. Good move Honorable. Check my blog for articles on sexual harrassment: www.securitymattersafrica.com

Good one! I endorse the bill 100%

It must be a two way thing cs ladies are bunch of confused species dey may willingly play along and later shout embarrassment

What of bill for senators and job racketers. No sex no Job.

Mtcheew

They also need bill for Job racketers too in government... No Sex No Job bill...

Oh

This bill shouldn't be only focused on universities nd lecturers. Even the senators are not exempted from the sexual harassment/escapades of a thin. How about employers in private firms? What of church pastors? What of Imams? Even the man that came up with this bill, how clean is he in that regard?

morikee:
I just smoke weed for the first time guys rejoice with me I'm very happy Goodluck have won 2019 Election.

Na so e dey start.

How can they exclude the primary and secondary schools, even when the students at that level are not up to the age of consent?

I applaud this Bill, but statutory rape is what happens when an adult has sex (with or without consent) with a minor. So, the bill should include secondary school abeg! Even though the penal code has covered the secondary schools, we know it is rarely applied, so the Senate should include it for EMPHASIS.

morikee posts=83800660:
I just smoke weed for the first time guys rejoice with me I'm very happy Goodluck have won 2019 Election.

obolo must u comment?

I am preparing a bill on Maze Snatchers