Don’t trivialise sexual harassment issues - University students urged

More than 80 per cent of sexual harassment cases at the University of Ghana originate from students, the Secretary of the Anti-Sexual Harassment Committee, Mercy Sowatey, has revealed. 

She has, therefore, called on students not to trivialise sexual harassment issues such as unwanted propositions and humiliating conduct, unsolicited advances, and inappropriate gestures, among others.

“Don’t trivialise sexual harassment issues; sometimes we trivialise it, but until you get into trouble, that is when you will know that ignorance is not an acceptable excuse within the university community.

“If we condone it here, out there they will not condone it,” she said at a seminar on March 31.

Workshop

The seminar was on the theme, “Safe spaces: preventing sexual harassment on campus”.

It was jointly organised by the Perfector of Sentiments (POS) Foundation, an NGO focused on promoting youth development, human rights and social justice, and the Office of the Women’s Commission of the UG Students Representative Council.

Five universities – Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology(KNUST), University of Cape Coast (UCC), University of Ghana, Legon, University of Education, Winneba (UEW) and the University of Development Studies (UDS) —have benefited from the seminar.

Mrs Sowatey explained that the university had maintained a policy against sexual harassment since 2010 which was aimed at ensuring that every student and staff member felt secure and dignified in their academic pursuits.

She added that the committee was not interested in regulating the relationship of students, but if a relationship was sexual and unwelcome, the committee would intervene.

The committee, she said was committed to promoting safe spaces and encouraged individuals to report incidents such as rape where early evidence collection is crucial to firm up the case of prosecuting perpetrators.

With approximately 70,000 students on campus, the secretary emphasised the collective responsibility to eliminate sexual harassment, adding, “It is everybody’s responsibility to eliminate sexual harassment in this school”. 

Rationale

The Founder and Executive Director of POS Foundation, Jonathan Osei Owusu, said sexual harassment in educational institutions was a significant issue affecting students' well-being and academic performance.

He added that the rising incidences of sexual harassment in universities necessitated a robust discourse aimed at raising awareness, evaluating existing policies and strengthening reporting mechanisms, hence the workshop.

This seminar, he said sought to educate university stakeholders on sexual harassment, analyse current policies against international standards, and explore effective reporting mechanisms.

Among others, he said the workshop formed part of efforts to raise awareness among university students, faculty, and staff within the Guidance and Counselling units on the definition, forms, and consequences of sexual harassment.

The seminar was also to conduct a comprehensive review of existing sexual harassment policies in selected universities to ensure alignment with international standards and best practices, identify and evaluate existing reporting mechanisms for addressing sexual harassment complaints in the selected universities and recommend improvements.

After the workshop, Mr Owusu said his outfit would form a human rights and gender-based violence (GBV) network, and a sexual harassment reporting desk within the universities.