Sexual harassment in education
Sexual harassment in education is an unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature that interferes with a student's ability to learn, study, work or participate in school activities.
United States
In their 2000 survey on 2064 students in 8th through 11th grade, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) reported:[4]
- 81% or eight out of 10 students experience sexual harassment in school
- 83% of girls have been sexually harassed
- 78% of boys have been sexually harassed
- 38% of the students were harassed by teachers or school employees
- 36% of school employees or teachers were harassed by students
- 42% of school employees or teachers had been harassed by each other
In their recent study (AAUW 2006) on sexual harassment at colleges and universities, the AAUW claimed that while both men and women were targets of sexual harassment, "women are disproportionately negatively affected."
- 62% of female college students and 61% of male college students report having been sexually harassed at their university.
- 66% of college students know someone personally who was harassed.
- 10% or fewer of student sexual harassment victims attempt to report their experiences to a university employee.
- 35% or more of college students who experience sexual harassment do not tell anyone about their experiences.
- 80% of students who experienced sexual harassment report being harassed by another student or former student.
- 39% of students who experienced sexual harassment say the incident or incidents occurred in the dorm.
- 51% of male college students admit to sexually harassing someone in college, with 22% admitting to harassing someone often or occasionally.
- 31% of female college students admit to harassing someone in college.
- Over 70% of LGBT college students have experienced sexual harassment.
In the "Report Card on Gender Equity," the NCWGE that 30 percent of undergraduate students, and 40 percent of graduate students, have been sexually harassed. (NCWGE, 1997)
In the United States, sexual harassment is a form of discrimination under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.[5]
Germany
The
In the mid-2010s, allegations of sexual harassment were raised against teachers in institutions of higher education in Hamburg, Düsseldorf and Munich.[7]
Ghana and Nigeria
BBC Africa Eye performed a year-long investigation into sexual harassment committed by university teachers in Ghana. Four academics were secretly filmed as part of the investigation. It involved undercover reporters posing as students at the University of Ghana and the University of Lagos. The resulting documentary was broadcast in October 2019, exposing the misconduct.[8]
The African Feminist Initiative released a solidarity statement condemning the harassment in an institution that should offer a safe environment for learning.[9]
Two academics were suspended from the University of Ghana for six months and four months, respectively, without salary. They were to undergo training about the university's sexual harassment and misconduct policy, to resume work only after a positive assessment, and to undergo an annual assessment for five years. Some have criticized the punishment as too lenient.[8]
In 2020, Nigeria's Senate initiated the debate of a bill aiming to prevent the sexual harassment of university students.[8]
See also
- Sexual abuse in primary and secondary schools
- Child-on-child sexual abuse
- School-related gender-based violence
- Sexual bullying
References
- ^ Dzeich, Billie Wright and Linda Weiner (1990). The Lecherous Professor: Sexual Harassment on Campus, University of Illinois Press.
- ^ Drawing the Line: Sexual Harassment on Campus (2006), the American Association of University Women
- ^ EDT, Marika Malaea On 10/8/19 at 8:15 PM (2019-10-08). "#SexForGrades documentary trending worldwide, reveals sexual harassment university scandal". Newsweek. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Hostile Hallways" (PDF). American Association of University Women. 2001. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
- ^ ed.gov
- ^ Philipp Seibt (2018-02-27). "Tatort Universität". Der Spiegel (in German). Retrieved 2020-03-06.
- ^ "Stellungnahme des Hochschulpräsidenten". hfmt-hamburg.de (in German). 2019-05-02. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
- ^ a b c "University of Ghana lecturers suspended after 'sex-for-grades' exposé". bbc.com. 2020-02-18. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
- ^ "Solidarity Statement – Sex for Grades in African Universities". msafropolitan.com. 2019-11-11. Retrieved 2020-03-06.