BULAWAYO – Universities should ban female students from wearing revealing clothes to reduce the incidence of sexual harassment by lecturers, according to a controversial new proposal by the Gender Commission.
The commission is proposing a dress code for university students so that those who are “inappropriately dressed” are not allowed in lecture rooms.
The proposal is targeted mainly at female students, who are reportedly targets of sexual harassment by male lecturers.
Zimbabweans have condemned the plan online.
“To make life easier for the lecturer, the university needs to have a dress code policy,” Gender Commission legal and investigations manager Delis Mazambane said during a public lecture on sexual harassment at the University of Science and Technology on Tuesday.
“Of course, the constitution talks about freedom of expression but institutions are allowed to cascade such provisions to their own needs.
“During the weekend, the students can wear whatever they want but when attending lectures, they need to be guided on how to dress and this makes it easier for lecturers to pinpoint that ‘according to the university’s policy, you are not dressed appropriately’.”
Sibongile Kamusoko, the NUST Dean of Students, said very few female students come forward to report inappropriate approaches by lecturers.
“Very often, I see young men coming forward to report that women are being abused but the women themselves don’t step up, so there is no way we can do anything without tangible proof and information,” she said.
The Students and Youth Working on Sexual and Reproductive Health Action Team (SAYWHAT), 70 percent of female students sampled at Zimbabwe’s universities and colleges aid they had been victims of sexual harassment by lecturers, but many were fearful of reporting concerned they could be marked down and fail. Some said they willingly engaged in relationships with lecturers for economic reasons.
The proposal by the Gender Commission is however not the correct way to address the problem, some argue.
“When we fought to ensure the Gender Commission was included in the constitution, I would not have imagined we were creating an institution that would push such a stupid agenda,” legal expert Alex Magaisa said on Twitter.
“An agency that was meant to knock down the walls of patriarchy is busy parroting the language of patriarchy. Absolute nonsense.”
Journalist and author Grace Mutandwa said: “Young girls and women who wear long and shapeless dresses have been raped, so this is really nonsense and a sign of lack of understanding that is scary. Will the gender commissioners also ask for a dress code for babies and toddlers that get raped? I find this so triggering.
“The Gender Commission has decided to join people who blame victims, people who ask you what you were wearing or what you did to get someone to rape you.”
(Additional reporting cite.org.zw)
