The Nigerian Labour Act has no
provisions for criminalising sexual harassment at the workplace. Most cases go
unreported. A history of gender inequality, political instability, insecurity
and the absence of legal authority to protect women at the workplace deny
millions of women their voices – even powerful female politicians.
One would think that female
politicians would be less exposed to these predatory practices. The reality is
further from this. Okunola Abiola, 27, ran for a house of representatives seat
in Lagos state in the 2019 general election.
“Notable residents in Ikeja
demanded sexual commitment from me as collateral if I wanted to win. Electorate
promised me their vote if I can date or have sexual affair with them,” she
said.
“On many occasions, I have been
harassed sexually: both verbally and by physical actions and this was a major
setback for me.”
 |
Some men supported her cause without any demand
Abiola contested on the platform
of the Alliance for Social Democrats (ASD), seeking to represent Ikeja federal
constituency of Lagos. 28 years ago, Lagos was the capital of Nigeria.
Ironically, the state is the first in Nigeria to make laws against sexual
harassment. Unlike the Nigerian Labour Act, the criminal law of Lagos state
2011 has provisions criminalising sexual harassment through Section 262(1) it
makes clear that:
“Any person who sexually harasses
another is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for three years.”
 |
| Posters during campaigns weren’t enough, some men demanded more |
Only 11.36% of nominated
candidates for the last election were women, according to the Centre for
Democracy and Development (CDD).
There are constraints: violence,
and intimidation of voters and candidates. But in addition to this, gross cases
of sexual harassment against women. The CDD said these need to be examined and
the prosecution of perpetrators will serve as a deterrent.
Two things are common across
stories of political harassment. On one side, political intimidation through
violence, and on the other – dirty politics through harassment of political
opponents.
In one sentence, Sylvanus Okeoma,
who contested the Agwu north
constituency in Enugu state house of assembly, narrated her experience as a
candidate of the African Democratic Party: “I faced a lot of sexual harassment,
and my agents were attacked.”
In the north, Ndi Kato, political activist and politician, agreed
that criminalising sexual assault by perpetrators will help to deter such
behaviour.
“As a woman, I know better than
to hope for this. I am the villain in every situation. If I point out sexual
harassment in the political space, I get further removed from the space,” she said
Ndi Kato once contested the house
of assembly position in Kaduna.
While advocating the prosecution
of sexual offenders, Kato expressed the concern: “in theory we agree to this
but in terms of practicality, we are not at this conversation yet. Who are we
having conversations with?”
TechHer, a platform providing
support for Nigerian women through technology, is responding to this beyond
conversations.
Chioma Agwuegbo, the founder,
said she is working to balance the odds: “We have a Technology for Governance
pillar that focuses on the application of technology and innovation in the
promotion and protection of women in business and governance spaces. We see
technology not as a panacea, but as a tool that can be wielded in many ways to
support and assist women in dealing with harassment.”
Agwuegbo believes that if women
are exposed to the ways technology enables their daily activities, they will be
more productive and empowered to have a voice in their community.
Written by Abang, an award-winning
journalist and a 2017 United Nations Journalism fellow, focuses her work on
issues facing vulnerable populations.
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