The Menace of Sexual Harassment – Beyond Wails and Penalties -By Gbenga Oloniniran

The society in this era is confronted by this disturbing social menace, sexual harassment. Perhaps, it might appear very pronounced in this era, consequent upon the jet age avenues by which information is spread. Without being narrow minded, however, sexual harassment of any kind (rape, sex for favor or opportunities, intimidated sex, etc) dates as far back as to the history of men and society.

As society advances, the perception of what is right and wrong or what is moral and immoral, as regards marital life and sexual behavior varied accordingly to respective epochs. That is, at some time and stage, sex, like marriage too, among children of brothers and sisters was seen as normal. At some other stage, sex like marriage also, among siblings of the same parent was prevalent and seen normal among men. Friedrich Engels (1884) in ”Origin of the Family, the State and Private Property,” was explicitly detailed in reporting this study of men’s social behavior in the ancient times, which included their style of marriage, family, settlement, style of production, etc.

Our generation witnessed perhaps, different marital culture, or ‘by extension’, sexual behavior between elderly men and teenage girls as in Northern Nigeria for example, where the culture permits. This kind of marriage could be seen as immoral in the Southwest, and in the legal view, the sex considered an assault or rape being that a minor is involved.

Many of these antiquated acts are today a taboo, reason being that morals are advancing with enlightenment that accompanies different stages of society, while the laws governing men are equally changing to suit the prevailing status quo.

But as the variations in men’s sexual and marital behaviors differ with resoects to different stages, and as we have some of the current taboos remaining relative only to prevailing and diverse cultures, sexual harassment on other hand has since not stopped.

As much as sex and marriage between a father and his daughter; a mother and her son, or a brother and his sister and between cousins and relatives are a taboo by virtue of some prevailing cultural standards of this age, sexual harassment among these sets has not ceased to raise ugly heads too.

With its spread like wildfire in the harmattan, it appears the moral and legal implications are defied, much without second thoughts. It is today, occurring between lecturers and students, teachers and pupils, among members of religious institutions, in diverse organizations and in virtually all facets of human settings, the monstrous act remains prominent.

For a broader perspective, let us digress a bit. Indeed, there is an age-long attempt to objectify women. Should this be limited to the physiological make up which ‘portrays women as weaker vessels’, and that perception equally exploited by the system, leading to patriarchy as well as other societal structures that continue to subjugate women? In the same light, there appears to be a system that finds one class of people dominating another ( an economically weaker class), and in making this domination easier, the whole weak class is gradually suppressed when it already conquers a faction of it through gender discrimination or sexism.

Like the age-long sexism and of course, sexual harassment, the need to question the relegation of women’s roles in the society had since begun too, in what seemed like the then feminism, but yet to be pronounced. In an online excerpt, Cristen Conger in “How Femism Works”, was quoted that in 1610, some French Noblewoman started the first salon (an intellectual meeting aimed at discussing the question of women), he continued that it however remained mere discussion until the revolutionary and post revolutionary periods of France in the 18th century where the ideological concept of feminism was championed. Like Alex Callinicos equally did too, the term “feminism” has since been credited to Charles Fourier who coined it in 1872, and who, along his cohorts, practically championed the women cause in France, believing that the liberation of people could not be total without breaking away with sexism, and that the people are generally exploited along political, economical and sexual discriminations. With this, we can say that both the term feminism and its struggle have their origins even more with men than women, as against some blind and antagonistic feminism practiced against men by some of our modern day feminists.

To limit our digression, one can come back to say, sexual harassment of female has some parts of it in some socioeconomic and political ideas (subjugation of women, rooted in patriarchy and in the domination of men in positions of authority). Men had since been given this dominating orientation over the female sex.

Let’s put this ideological view on one hand, as it is not only about that, but it is equally much with biological provisions too. This biological background as in the physiological makeup, the difference in libidos between male and female actually appears not to be given a prioritized attention. Going by the rampant report of sexual harassment by male over female, apparently, sexual urge in men is higher than in women.
S. M. van Anders of the University of Michigan, USA, in a research article, (Testosterone and sexual desire in healthy women and men. Available in Archives of Sexual Behaviour), coined that sexual desire is typically higher in men than in women, with testosterone thought to account for this difference.

Similarly, Richard Sine’s documentary on Sex Drive comparison between men and women concluded that experts posit that men score higher in libido, while women’s sex drive is more of “fluid”. Some excerpts from his documentations read:

(The majority of adult men under 60 think about sex at least once a day, reports Laumann. Only about one-quarter of women say they think about it that frequently. As men and women age, each fantasize less, but men still fantasize about twice as often;

In a survey of studies comparing male and female sex drives, Roy Baumeister, a social psychologist at Florida State University, found that men reported more spontaneous sexual arousal and had more frequent and varied fantasies. “Men want sex more often than women at the start of a relationship, in the middle of it, and after many years of it,” Baumeister concludes after reviewing several surveys of men and women. This isn’t just true of heterosexuals, he says; gay men also have sex more often than lesbians at all stages of the relationship. Men also say they want more sex partners in their lifetime, and are more interested in casual sex.
Men are more likely to seek sex even when it’s frowned upon or even outlawed.)

Other studies show too, that prostitution is more of women offering to satisfy men for money in return, with wide margin when compared vice versa. Indeed, men’s drive for sex is high and that has been indirectly taken advantage of too by the system. Should we say the advantage is taken by women to extort men who cannot hold the urge? But indeed, patronising a sex club, apart from marriage and other consensual means for sex, appears to be one of the most moral way to satisfy urge for sex, especially for men. It also connotes that whoever (men) that cannot afford such patronage “may” resort to rape and other sexual harassments, when the urge is high. The system is equally hypocritical because prostitution is morally blackmailed and legally victimized at some point. In another light however, economy is also another major factor that led women to prostitution.

Gathering from back and forth, our societal problems are more of a systemic reflection than the wails and penalties that follow with them, and it appears this is what many have failed to identify with, especially because the ruling bureaucracies shy away from them. Perhaps the deliberate negligence favors the bureaucracy.

Let us take a look at how the the society’s bureaucracy responds to these deep rooted crises of our society. In many cases of sexual harassment, there are proportionate legal punishments, but despite this, the act is still highly prominent, and which would still likely be even if the punishment was death by firing squad. We recall that one Professor Akindele of Obafemi Awolowo University has been sentenced to prison over #SexforGrades, only for others ( lecturers at the university of Lagos, as revealed, among others who are yet to be caught in the act) to continue despite the awareness. These are equally learned persons who know the laws of both the autonomous universities and that of the country’s constitution against such acts.
In actual fact, sexual harassment is so prominent such that BBC #SexforGrades investigation would be eagerly done and highly trend, unlike any other crime (recall Ganduje’s bribery video), because it affects many, many of who have not, and may never voice out. They are the background army that would trend it very much more. This is so because the law is not enough to address this menace given the factors analysed in the digressing paragraphs above. Yes, even the lawmakers making heavy punishments are culprits and potential culprits!

Another scenario which clearly shows the failure of state laws in tackling crimes, really embedded in systemic root cause, is the question of congestion of prisons, Nigeria as a case study. We are also aware that despite being that death punishment accrues to drug trafficking in some Arab countries, people still travel and venture in hard drugs at this region. Poverty remains the factor. Decongesting Nigerian Prisons has been a major topic of recent. Suggestions have been that imprisonment should not form the block of punishments for some crimes, but we should see that it is not necessarily imprisonment, fines, death or community service that will prevent or reduce crime. The economic condition of people lead them to crime. An economy that works for all will reduce crimes and decongest our prisons.

To conclude, in our attempts to tackle sexual harassments, whether that of male over female or vice versa, we have left out the role of quality education (orientation) to enlighten potential victims and potential perpetrators on the scientifically proven ways to avoid and end this menace. What are the roles of our psychotherapists, psychologists, sociologists, psychiatrists, experts in physical and social sciences? What are our students researching about in the institutions on how to tackle many societal menaces such as this? Our education is not to hoard knowledge or commercialize it, it is to advance the course of humanity for the benefit of all. Education is failing if it cannot solve societal problems! Our feminists should not limit themselves to a battle of ego and superiority of sex, it is beyond that. All hands must be on deck to understate and proffer solutions.

#NotoSexualAssaults #NoToRape #NotoSexforGrades #NoToSexforFavors

Men can stop them all! Women can too. We all can, but first, for a saner system that works for all!

Gbenga Oloniniran is a Social Activist, a Feminist, a Social Scientist and Geographer. gbengaoloniniran@gmail.com