Continued

The Background

SH is not easy to define, partly because it does not involve a homogenous set of behaviours. In academic settings, SH includes requests for sexual favours and verbal or physical sexual activities, which are used as the basis for employing or awarding academic marks to an individual depending on acceptance or rejection of those advances and creating hostile learning environments when advances are rejected.

SH in colleges and universities is grossly underreported. Survivors rarely report the SH experience. This is often because of unequal power relations, fear of loss of status, marks or jobs as retaliation and the attendant stigma that brings.

The global prevalence of SH in tertiary institutions is high. The prevalence is higher in Nigeria, ranging from 68% to 80% among female respondents and 69 – 99% when a broader spectrum of SH was assessed. There are gender variations in the experience and perception of SH in literature.

Some authors have alluded to the fact that indecent dressing is a factor in SH, and part of the recommendation for females is propriety in dressing as a means to prevent SH.