General News of Wednesday, 9 October 2019
Source: citinewsroom.com
2019-10-09
Cynthia Morrison, Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister
The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection has condemned the act of sexual harassment in whatever form with which it is done.
This reaction comes on the back of the BBC ‘Sex for Grades’ documentary which indicts some lecturers at the University of Lagos in Nigeria, and Ghana’s premier University, the University of Ghana.
In the wake of the public anger and subsequent actions taken against the lecturers involved, the sector minister, Cynthia Mamle Morrison condemned the practice at a Meet-the-Press series on Wednesday.
“We all know it [harassment] is not a good thing. For both boys and girls, it is wrong. Not only in the university but everywhere, even in this room. A man shakes you and scratches your hand, what does that mean? He sees you and hits your butt, what does that mean? We cannot do that to men when we meet them. So everywhere it happens, whether in the classroom, home or the office, it is wrong.”
“So I would not only concentrate on what happened in the universities. Starting from the media and all of us, including our boys and husbands, the whole country and the whole world, it is wrong to do that. If you are interested in a girl, propose to her. If she likes it, she’ll accept. If she doesn’t, she goes her way and you go and look for another one,” she said.
She also said government was working towards passing the Affirmative Action Bill to empower women.
BBC Africa Eye’s exposé on sexual harassment from lecturers in the two universities have received a lot of backlash from many individuals.
Whilst some want the lecturers sanctioned, others have argued that the content of the documentary lacks the evidence to prove what is accused of them.
However, the University of Ghana has interdicted the two lecturers; Prof Ransford Gyampo and Dr Paul Butakor. They are expected to co-operate with the University’s Anti Sexual Harassment Committee to probe the matter.
