A Psychologist’s advice for Minister Uju Kennedy Ohanenye on sexual misconduct and violations.

I trust this message finds you well and that you are able to read and consider its content. I want to begin by expressing my appreciation for your dedicated service as Minister of Women Affairs and your commitment to addressing the pressing issues facing women in Nigeria. However, recent concerns have arisen regarding your statements and responses concerning Sexual harassment, particularly after audio recordings were brought to light. These concerns highlight the urgent need for education on matters related to sexual concerns, issues, and offenses. Specifically, I wish to address a recent news article on BarristerNG.com by Uruegi Anne Agi, which questions your understanding of sexual harassment and assault, particularly in the context of allegations at the University of Calabar (UNICAL).

The article, titled “Minister of Women Affairs Who Does Not Know What Sexual Harassment is, Is That One A Minister of Women Affairs?” and published on September 13, 2023, has called attention to your need for education on these critical matters. To ensure that everyone, especially women and girls, can live in an environment free from fear and intimidation, I work as a psychologist specializing in the evaluation and treatment of sexual offenders. My goal is to raise public awareness about the spectrum of Sexual Misconduct and the necessity of prevention, response, and healing.

I hope that by providing you with the following information, Minister Ohanenye, and others, you will gain a better understanding of the complexity of sexual misconduct. It is my belief that through education and awareness, we can collectively work towards making Nigeria a safer and more respectful place for everyone, with a particular emphasis on the well-being of women and girls.

Sexual misconduct encompasses a wide range of behaviors that infringe upon an individual’s bodily autonomy, privacy, and consent, and it can manifest in both verbal and non-verbal forms.

Verbal Sexual Offenses: These include acts such as sexual harassment, intimidation, and the use of demeaning language. Examples of such behavior include making explicit comments, using vulgar language, and shifting blame onto victims.

Non-Verbal Sexual Offenses: These can be just as damaging as verbal ones but may lack the overt words. Non-verbal sexual offenses encompass unwanted physical contact, groping, invasion of personal space, compulsion, and manipulation.

Impact on Victims: Victims of both verbal and non-verbal sexual offenses are at risk of experiencing anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and a general erosion of trust in others.

Sexual Assault: This category covers both overt and covert attacks on an individual’s right to bodily integrity, privacy, and consent, including any form of penetration carried out without the victim’s free and voluntary participation.

Voyeurism: Voyeurism involves surreptitiously observing another person’s private parts to experience sexual desire. This may include spying on someone without their knowledge, using hidden cameras, or recording intimate moments without consent.

Exhibitionism: Exhibitionism refers to engaging in sexual acts in public without seeking consent from those who may witness these actions. The intent is often to shock or sexually arouse unsuspecting individuals.

Revenge Porn: Revenge porn entails publicly disclosing private information or explicit content about another person with the intent to embarrass or harm them. It constitutes a violation of privacy and can cause significant psychological harm to the victim.

Stalking: While not exclusively sexual in nature, stalking often involves unwanted attention and relentless pursuit of a person, which can include repeated, unwelcome, and threatening sexual advances.

Child Sexual Abuse: This encompasses any sexual contact between an adult and a minor who is unable to provide informed consent. Acts such as molestation, grooming, and sexual exploitation of children fall under this category.

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: In a professional setting, sexual harassment occurs when unwelcome sexual advances, comments, or actions create a hostile or intimidating work environment. Quid pro quo harassment, where employment benefits are conditioned on sexual favors, is also a concern.

Sex Trafficking: This severe form of sexual exploitation involves recruiting, housing, transporting, or receiving individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for commercial sexual exploitation.

Online Sexual Misconduct: In today’s digitally connected world, sexual misconduct has extended to online spaces, encompassing cyberbullying, online harassment, sexting without consent, and explicit conversations with minors.

Sexual Coercion: This involves pressuring or manipulating someone into engaging in sexual behavior against their will, often through threats, emotional manipulation, or the abuse of authority.

Sexual Harassment in Education: Similar to workplace harassment, this form occurs in educational settings, involving unwelcome sexual advances, comments, or actions that create a hostile or intimidating environment for students.

Sexual Exploitation: Sexual exploitation entails using another person’s sexuality for personal or financial gain, encompassing activities such as prostitution, pornography, and pimping.

Sextortion: Sextortion occurs when individuals are threatened with the release of sensitive or explicit material unless they comply with sexual demands.

Sexual Cyberbullying: This form includes sending sexually explicit content or messages across digital platforms without the recipient’s consent, often with the intent to humiliate or harm them.

Unwanted Touching: Any sexually suggestive physical contact without explicit consent, including touching, fondling, or groping sensitive areas, falls under this category.

Groping: Groping involves forcibly grabbing or fondling another person’s breasts, buttocks, neck, hands, or genitalia without their consent, constituting a clear violation of personal boundaries.

Invasion of Personal Space: Deliberately invading another person’s personal space, making them feel threatened or uncomfortable, can include standing too close, unwarranted physical proximity, or blocking their path.

Coercion and Manipulation: These tactics involve pressuring someone into sexual acts against their will, using threats, emotional manipulation, or promises of rewards to induce compliance.

Obscene or Explicit Language: The use of offensive or sexually explicit words or phrases to demean, degrade, or intimidate someone is intended to create discomfort or distress through verbal means.

Marital Rape: Marital rape refers to sexual intercourse or any sexual activity without the consent of one’s spouse. Consent within a marital relationship should always be freely given and revocable, emphasizing the right of all individuals to say “no” to any sexual activity, even within a marriage or committed relationship.

Forced Marriage: Forced marriages, unfortunately common in parts of Africa, including Nigeria, involve marrying someone against their will, often for social, cultural, or economic reasons, and may involve sexual coercion within the marriage.

Marital Rape and Forced Marriage in Nigeria and Africa: Urgent legislative measures are needed to address and criminalize Marital Rape and Forced Marriage in Nigeria and across Africa. Consent within marital relationships must be freely given and revocable. The absence of specific laws against Marital Rape leaves many vulnerable spouses without legal recourse or protection from this form of sexual abuse. Similarly, Forced Marriage remains prevalent and often involves sexual coercion within marriages. Legislative action is crucial to protect individuals within marital relationships and uphold their fundamental rights to autonomy and consent.

Understanding this broad spectrum of offensive behaviors is essential for effectively addressing and preventing sexual misconduct. It is imperative that individuals and institutions alike recognize and actively combat these forms of misconduct to create a safer and more respectful environment for all.

Furthermore, Minister Ohanenye, it is crucial to underscore the role of the Nigerian Criminal Justice System in addressing and preventing sexual misconduct. Specialized training is essential to ensure that law enforcement agencies, the judiciary, and related authorities handle cases of sexual misconduct with sensitivity and expertise. Legislative reforms are also imperative to define and criminalize various forms of sexual misconduct, thereby holding perpetrators accountable for their actions. Under President Bola Tinubu’s government, I sincerely hope that the president, who is well-versed in principles of fairness, caring, and understanding of freedoms due to his foundational education in the United States of America, will recognize the importance of deputies and ministers like you who prioritize issues of fairness, empathy, and accountability.

In conclusion, Minister Ohanenye, I implore you to take a leading role in reforming the Nigerian System of ethical and decent acts to better address cases of sexual misconduct. Education, awareness, and legal reforms are the cornerstones of building a safer and more equitable society for all.

I hope you will consider these insights valuable for as long as you are in public service, especially in your role of advocating for the welfare of the female population and others. Your dedication to this cause can have a profound impact on the lives of women and girls throughout Nigeria. Your commitment to this cause is instrumental in shaping a brighter future for Nigeria.

Professor John Egbeazien Oshodi, who was born in Uromi, Edo State, Nigeria, to a father who served in the Nigeria police for 37 years, is an American-based police and prison scientist and forensic, clinical, and legal psychologist. A sex offender evaluation and treatment Psychologist. A government consultant on matters of forensic-clinical psychological services in the USA; and a former interim associate dean and assistant professor at Broward College, Florida. The Founder of the Dr. John Egbeazien Oshodi Foundation, Center for Psychological Health and Behavioral Change in African Settings. A former Secretary-General of the Nigeria Psychological Association. In 2011, he introduced state-of-the-art forensic psychology into Nigeria through N.U.C. and Nasarawa State University, where he served in the Department of Psychology as an Associate Professor. He has taught at various universities and colleges including Florida memorial University, Florida International University, Broward college, Lynn University, and a contributing faculty member at the Weldios university in Benin Republic, Nexus International University, Uganda, Nova Southeastern University and Walden University in USA.

The post Dear Minister Uju Kennedy Ohanenye: Lessons on S3xual Wrongdoings and Offenses -By John Egbeazien Oshodi first appeared on Opinion Nigeria.