By Haruna Salami
Sexual Harassment of Students (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill, 2025 (HB.1597), which prescribes 14 years jail term for offenders has been passed by the Senate.
The bill which was sent by the House of Representatives for concurrence by the Senate was introduced by Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, (APC, Ekiti Central).
According to Bamidele, the bill is designed to protect students from all forms of sexual misconduct and abuse within academic environments while providing clear legal frameworks for the enforcement and punishment of offenders.
He said that the Bill is enacted to promote and protect ethical standards in tertiary education, the sanctity of the student-educator fiduciary relationship of authority, dependency and trust and respect for human dignity in tertiary educational institutions by providing for protection of students against sexual harassment by educators in tertiary educational institutions; prevention of sexual harassment of students by educators in tertiary educational institutions; and redressal of complaints of sexual harassment of students by educators in tertiary educational institutions.
According to the Senate, (1) “Any person who commits any of the offences or acts specified in clause 4 (1), (2) and (3) of this Bill is guilty of an offence of felony and shall, on conviction, be sentenced to an imprisonment term of up to 14 years but not less than 5 years, without an option of a fine.
“(i) Any person who commits any of the offences or acts specified in Clause 4 (4), (5) and (6) of this Bill is guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to an imprisonment term of up to 5 years but not less than 2 years, without an option of a fine.
“Notwithstanding the provisions of clauses 4, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 of this Bill or any other part of this Bill thereof, the sight of a student who complains of or alleges sexual harassment by an educator to commence and maintain a civil action in court for breach of fiduciary duty of care contrary to clauses 2 and 3 of this Bill shall be the same standard applicable in all civil proceedings.
“The standard of proof in any proceedings for an educator’s breach of the fiduciary duty owed to a student under clauses 2 and 3 of this Bill shall be the same standard applicable in all civil proceedings.
“Nothing under this Bill shall preclude an institution from proceeding under its established policies, rules and regulations for the internal administrative discipline of its staff and students, provided that
“Where criminal proceedings have been commenced under this Bill or are pending in a court in respect of a complaint of sexual harassment of a student by an educator, no disciplinary body, including an Independent Sexual Harassment Prohibition Committee in an institution, shall have the power to commence or continue disciplinary proceedings or render any decision in respect of the acts or offences complained of.
“Where a student makes a sexual harassment complaint against an educator, an institution’s Independent Sexual Harassment Prohibition Committee established under this Bill shall investigate, determine and render a final decision on the merits of the complaint in line with the provisions of this Bill, which shall supersede any existing policies, rules or regulations for internal administrative discipline of its staff and students.”
