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The problem of sexual harassment continues to grow in Togo. It is particularly rampant in the country's schools. More and more girls are quitting their studies because of poor grades or pregnancies which can be traced to instances of sexual harassment. - The situation is alarming, stated Kuessan Sewa, a Lomé surveyor whose daughter was sexually harassed and then impregnated by one of her teachers. Basile Agboh, a journalist and teacher, thinks that responsibility for the harassment lies with the girls themselves. "Most pupils and students come to school indecently dressed. Their male classmates and even some of their teachers can't help but react," said Agboh. But the representatives of many NGOs disagree. "Harassment is a form of sexual aggression. It is a behaviour which takes place only when power relationships are unequal," noted Kafui Kouwonou, the chairperson of the Togolese branch of the NGO African Women's Rights and Development (WILDAF). WILDAF has just concluded a 16-day educational campaign against sexual harassment in Togolese schools. "There was real give and take. Many students who have been abused by their teachers and classmates stood up to speak," said Kouwonou. - Ever since my French teacher started to make advances toward me, I no longer feel comfortable in his class, said one such student, 10th grader Sergine Kokpoh. The long-term effects of sexual harassment can be quite devastating for the victim. "Emotional reactions to sexual harassment can include fear, hostility toward the harasser, agitation, confusion, frustration, and the sense that one is all alone," declared Dzissenou Kodjo, the staff member of an educational journal. - A student who has been harassed may have nightmares and be unable to continue to function normally, according to studies we've conducted, he added. "They also tell us that students who have been harassed tend to clam up." Even though there is a law which protects boys and girls regularly enrolled in educational institutions, students still experience sexual harassment. The law, which was promulgated May 16, 1984, mandates prison terms for those who impregnate girls regularly enrolled in school, and for those who try to force students to undergo an abortion. Many teachers were charged with violating this law. But with the advent of democracy in the 1990s, it was no longer effectively enforced. "It's this situation which has spurred us to increase our public awareness campaigns," declared Kodjo. As a result of the campaigns, special teams have been created in schools called 'SOS Girls in Danger'. "The purpose of these teams is to transmit the names of harassers to NGOs so the harassers can be denounced." The workshop which marked the end of a year of campaigning recommended that students, teachers, and parents mobilise against sexual harassment. "We want to intensify the laws protecting victims and make sure that everyone understands them," declared Tchagnao Raouf, the director for the legal status women in Togo. According to Raouf, the concept of sexual harassment needs to be translated into local languages so that it is universally understood throughout Togo. by Noel Tadegnon, IPS
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