STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ASSAULT

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ASSAULT

ABSTRACT

The study investigates the prevalence of violent Sexual Harassment / Assault on women with particular reference to Nasarawa Local Government of Nasarawa State Nigeria. It investigated the etiological and causative factors engendering sexual assault, characteristics of males that sexually assault and reasons why rapists assault. Also, myths about sexual assault, conditions that precipitates sexual assault, predicaments of sexual assault and intervention or needs of sexually assaulted survivors. Descriptive research design of the survey type was used in the study; the researchers surveyed the entire vulnerable female girls in Nasarawa local government. Reports in national dailies and various sophisticated media indicated that majority of the girls are sexually abused and vulnerable to sexual assault. There are cultural, mythical, social and psychological factors enhancing the susceptibility of female children to sexual assault. There are indications that socio economic variables enhance the amenability of girls to sexual assault. Based on this, parents, teachers and significant others should orientate vulnerable girls and discourage cultural norms that engenders sexual assault. The law enforcement agents should sharpen all their weapons of sanitation to curb the prevalence of sexual assault in the society. The curriculum planners should imbibe this in the curriculum subjects and discourage the tenacity of assault. The study will be of benefit to vulnerable girls, parents, students, teachers, counsellors, law enforcement agents and care givers.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0     INTRODUCTION

1.1     HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The terminology sexual assault is a composite term. Generally, it refers to rape or other forms of sexual abuse. Definition of sexual assault varies from individual to individual and professional to professionals.

Sometimes it is based on sex, religion, age and so on. From women's perspective , Brownmiller (1975 ) defined "rape" as sexual invasion of the body by force, an incursion into the private personal inner space without consent, an internal assault from one of several avenues and by one of several methods that constitutes a deliberate violation of emotional, physical and rational integrity and is hostile degrading act of violence. The U.S Department of Justice (2003) declared that 6 in 10 assaulted victims reported that offender was an intimate , relative, a friend or acquaintance.

The situation is very rife in Nigeria. There are adequate reports on daily bases of parents assaulting children, proprietors of schools assaulting pupils, grandfather raping  grand child. Virtually everything is vividly seen in the Nigeria newspapers and sophisticated media about the tenacity and the tendentious sexual assaults melted on Nigeria girls.

There are equally reported in virtually all the developing nations across the world. About 103,000 children are reported as having been sexually abused in the United States out of 903,000 child maltreatment cases. Salter (1988) reported that on the issue of child sexual abuse in nonclinical population studies and estimated that up to 38 percent of females and 11 percent of males had been sexually abused.

Schwartz- Kenny, McCauley & Epstem (2001) reported that the situation is debilitating in Asia and Africa. Unfortunately, majority of the sexual assault offenders commit the crime with impunity in these developing nations because of cultural inhibitions and shyness.

In some cases, horrifically, children are sold into slavery or thralldom as child prostituted and servants by their impoverished parents. The horrific trade of child trafficking that is defying all weapons of sanitation in Nigeria is one of the banes that are promoting sexual assault in Nigeria. The U.S Department of Justice (1998) reported that majority of sexual assault are perpetrated on children and female under age 15.

It is terrifying that 50 to 90 percent of all rapes or attempted rapes were unreported. Most of the incest and molestation are never reported.

More so, date rapes and stranger rapes are not reported due to shame, humiliation, guilt, cultural taboos; and to avoid victimization at the hands of medical authorities. Many of the cases are throne away in the law courts because of lack of evidences and distortion of evidences by law enforcement agents and inadequate exhibits for prosecution.

National Research established beyond doubt that women are far more likely than men to suffer sexual harassment in the society (ILO’S interdepartmental project on equality for women in employment). As it is often the case with women, it is the most vulnerable men who are like to e affected. Youths entering the workforce, men working as part of female dominated work groups, men from ethnic or racial minorities and homosexual men. It is thus appropriate that offender policies and guidelines confer the same rights upon men who have been sexually harassed by women.

Until recently, sexual harassment was often regarded as an indignity, which women had to risk in order to be permitted to work (Lipper 1992). The last decade has seen a remarkable growth in awareness of sexual harassment at work, school, home and been social gathering in Nigeria and in Nasarawa town in particular leading to widespread recognition that this is a problem which must be addressed.

1.2            STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Women occupy a very strategic position in the society by their reproductive, socialization and emotional roles. In addition to these roles, women also play an important economic role both within the family and the society at large. In view of the importance of their economic activities therefore, women conducive work environment. However, practices like sexual harassment at home, work place or the society at large constitute a serious hindrance for women. Sexual harassment is therefore a major barrier that limits the potentials of women. Therefore this  research seeks to find out the like prevalence of sexual harassment / assaults in Nigeria, its likely causes and implications on victims with particular reference to Nasarawa  local government, Nasarawa State.

1.3            AIM AND OBJECTIVES

This research work is aimed at analyzing sexual harassment / assault, finding the rate of sexual assault, effect of sexual assault on victims and the society at large.

1.4            SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study is of great significant to sexual assault victims, vulnerable girls, parents, teachers, curriculum planners, counsellors, law enforcement agents and professional care givers. The victims could learn how to adjust to the situation. The vulnerable girls could understand how to avoid being assaulted. Parents and teachers could know how to guide their children, wards and students against assaulters. Counsellors could counsel the vulnerable and victims about how to cope and prevent assault. The law enforcement agents could understand the causative factors of assault. The professional care givers could understand how to handle their clients.

1.5            SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study is based on the statistics of sexual harassment in Nasarawa state which will be limited only to sexual harassment within Nasarawa Local Government.

1.6            LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The study encounter’s some problems in terms of scare related literature, there were no single hemispherical in the area concerning the study. Also there is a problem of financial limitation.

1.7            HYPOTHESIS

H0: sexual harassment has negative effect of the performance of women / girl in the development of the society

H1: sexual harassment has no negative effect of the performance of women / girl in the development of the society

1.8            DEFINITION OF TERMS

·        Sexual Harassment: This is when one is subjected t unwanted sexual treatment (advances, rape, intimidation etc).

·        Sex discrimination: The act treating men and woman differently in an unfair way.

·        Sex maniac: A person who wants to have sex at all time or a person with bizarre sexual habit.

·        Sex Object: A person considered only for their sexual attraction and not for their character.

·        Woman: – An adult female human being

·        Man: - An adult male human being

·        Victims: A person who has been attacked sexually

·        Girl Child: A young female human being who is not yet an adult (i.e. a young woman).

CHAPTER TWO

2.0     LITERATURE REVIEW

Sexual assault is a severely traumatic experience that disproportionally affects adolescent and young adult women  and is often associated with  psychological, physical and social distress.

Though researchers’ definition of sexual assault varies, it includes a spectrum of activities ranging from rape to physically less intrusive sexual contacts, whether attempted or completed.

The original definition of sexual harassment as defined by the U.S. Merit Service Protection Board (USMSPB) was "deliberate or repeated unsolicited verbal comments, gestures, or physical contact of a sexual nature which are unwelcome" (USMSPB, 1981). The initial

definition was expanded to include any conduct of a sexual nature which created "an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working  environment" (USMSPB, 1988; 1995). Even the expanded definition is criticized for being so broad, however, that empirical and  theoretical inconsistencies arising from specific studies remain (Schneider, 1982).

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