Kano State Government has vowed to take swift and stern action against any teacher or school staff member found guilty of sexual harassment in schools, warning that offenders will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
This declaration was made by the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf on Student Matters, Ibrahim Ma’ajiyi Sumaila, during a high-level meeting organized by the Centre for Awareness on Justice and Accountability (CAJA). The meeting focused on tackling the rising issue of sexual harassment within educational institutions.
Sumaila emphasized the state’s commitment to protecting students, particularly female ones, from abuse and exploitation. “As an Islamic state, Kano will not stand idly by while our daughters endure abuse. Any teacher found guilty of harassing a student will be expelled and prosecuted without delay,” he said. The senior aide also expressed the state’s support for the efforts of NGOs advocating for reform in the educational sector.
The event marked the launch of a six-month project by CAJA, aimed at developing comprehensive policies to address sexual harassment in schools. CAJA’s Executive Director, Kabiru Sa’id Dakata, noted that the initiative focuses on getting tertiary and secondary schools to implement clear, specific anti-harassment policies. He pointed out that many institutions either lack proper sexual harassment policies or only address the issue vaguely in student handbooks.
“We’ve been advocating for a national law on sexual harassment for three years, but it’s a slow process. Now, we’re focusing on individual institutions, pushing them to adopt stand-alone policies,” Dakata explained. He highlighted the painful reality that many victims remain silent, with some students dropping out or failing courses because they refuse to give in to the advances of predatory lecturers. “Students often don’t know where to report incidents or who to turn to for help. This is a failure of the system,” he added.
Barrister Maryam Ahmad Abubakar, who presented a paper on sexual harassment in academic settings, defined the offense as any unwelcome sexual behavior, whether verbal, physical, or psychological, that creates a hostile learning environment. She called for greater awareness and education for both staff and students on appropriate boundaries, emphasizing that moral and religious teachings play a key role in reducing such occurrences.
Among the proposed strategies discussed at the meeting were the introduction of strict penalties for offenders, revision of admission and employment age policies, and the incorporation of moral instruction into general studies curricula. CAJA, with support from the Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund and other partners, also plans to empower survivors as advocates, conduct advocacy campaigns in selected schools, and produce materials to raise awareness of the issue.
