Stifled Screams: Experiences of Sexual Harassment Survivors at First Generation Universities in Southwest Nigeria

AIMS: Sexual Harassment (SH) in colleges and universities in Nigeria is often shrouded in secrecy. Survivors rarely report the SH experience. This is often because of unequal power relations, fear of loss of status, marks, or job as retaliation, and the attendant stigma. The sexual harassment policy, implementation, and campus climate also have huge roles to play in reportage. This study aimed to investigate the experience of SH by men and women in heterosexual and same-sex situations in first-generation universities in South West Nigeria. METHODS: Students and staff who had survived SH were targeted for IDIs focused on the experience of SH from the perspective of the survivor including the consequences, reportage, outcomes, and whether justice had been served. A purposive approach was adopted in identifying respondents and a snowballing method guided the process across the three universities. The sensitivity of the topic and the stigma attached called for a recruitment strategy that ensured privacy, confidentiality, and freedom to share experiences without reservation. About four IDIs were conducted in each university. Interviews were held on several (face-to-face via telephone or Whatsapp calls) platforms. Analysis commenced with verbatim transcription of the audio recordings. The accuracy, integrity, and completeness of all transcriptions were verified. A thematic analysis was conducted and all transcripts were coded by three experts which were organized into categories. The most prominent and salient thematic findings were brought forward by merging codes while maintaining the integrity of the individual categories. A cluster analysis of code associations was also performed to facilitate pattern recognition in the data. NVivo Pro v.12 was used to facilitate the analysis. Themes were categorized into four distinct areas: experience of SH, consequences, reportage, and outcome. RESULTS: The experience of SH ranged from sexual assault to unsolicited physical touch and verbal harassment. In terms of consequences, survivors experienced low self-esteem, had problems in their relationships with others, became less trusting, and increased risk-taking behaviour. Most survivors were not aware of anti-SH policies in their institutions. None reported to law enforcement agents due to stigma, lack of financial means, and lack of trust in the system. CONCLUSION: Institutions need to do more than develop adequate antisexual harassment policies. There is a need to interrogate the culture around implementation and training to improve prevention and raise awareness.