ASUU Rejects se,xual Harassment Bill

Forum 7 years ago

ASUU Rejects se,xual Harassment Bill

Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has rejected the ongoing s*xual Harassment Offences Bill, in the Senate, saying the bill was targeted at lecturers.

According to the union, the bill is vindictive and it undermines university autonomy.

ASUU President Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, while speaking yesterday, in Abuja, at a public hearing on the bill, organised by the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, asked the Senate in particular and the National Assembly, in general not to allow the bill have its way.

Professor Ogunyemi said their is an existing law that prescribed punishments over misconduct generally among both staff and students, clearly articulating appropriate redress mechanism.

“Any law or bill which seeks to supplant these laws violates the university autonomy,” he said.

“In this particular instance, the bill violates the Federal Government of Nigeria and ASUU agreement of 2009 and as such should be rejected,” Ogunyemi said.

He also noted that s*xual harassment was a societal problem and not peculiar to tertiary institutions and so tertiary institutions should not be singled out for such law.