SEXUAL HARRASSMENT ON CAMPUS

Sounds Far-fetched? It's more prevalent than we all realise. From unwanted attention, inappropriate remarks and wolf whistling to rape. It’s bad behaviour that mostly happens “behind closed doors” and usually goes unreported!

Articles by: Duduzile Matema, Tam’sanqa Mhepoh, Sexual Rights Africa Network, Newsday. Graphics & illustrations; Tam’sanqa Mhepoh. Models;Bathabile Dlamini & Lungile Ngwenya.

RESEARCH

Female Students Network of Zimbabwe's baseline study, conducted in universities, polytechnics and teachers’ colleges, with support from the Czech Embassy and the Students and Academics International Help Fund, covered ten tertiary institutions and included 3 425 students and staff.

The study confirmed the students’ claims that GBV and SH were ‘rampant’ on campuses, particularly sexual harassment of female students by male lecturers, fellow male students and non-academic male employees.

Of the 1 987 female students who had encountered SH:

16% of female students said they had been raped by male students and 5% had been raped by male lecturers and non-academic staff;

13% of female students reported date rape in relationships with older men (lecturers and non-academic staff) and 46% in relationships with male students.

PRESS REPORT

The Problem: Tertiary institutions lack sexual harassment policies

A national baseline survey on sexual harassment conducted by the Female Students Network (FSN) between June and August in 2015 showed that only five out of 21 sampled tertiary institutions had sexual harassment policies.

Get the full research here campusmoments.org

OPINE

Too embarrassed to share, but because I care will share it instead!!

Don’t people have the decency to at least pretend like they adhere to certain commemorations which speak directly to the woman? It’s not like we are asking for something which may go beyond a month of sustaining this pretense. Here I am sitting in a full kombi, the usual ‘four- four formation’. Just before my eyes, I witness a sliding door operator(hwindi) insulting a woman for standing her ground and frankly not accepting coins as her change after paying her bus fare. I did not interfere and try to play hero in someone else’s fight due to fear of being left stranded in the middle of nowhere. Was it her fight entirely?

CANDID COMMENT

Our solution: Activism against Sexual Harrassment and other forms of GBV

As young people, the best we can do to reduce the prevalence of sexual harassment and other forms of gender based violence is to raise each other’s consciousness on the issue through activism in its various forms.

In addition to creating awareness about sexual harassment as a form of GBV and a human rights issue, activism on campus is indeed a solution that will complement ongoing work against GBV at national, regional and international level. -

Do More...

Take up an internship in Sexual & Reproductive Health and Rights

Keep checking the Opportunities Section of our website for internships and various openings in the realm of Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights.