Baobab for women’s human rights calls for urgent legal reforms to address workplace sexual harassment

By Mariya Shuaibu Suleiman

Baobab for Women’s Human Rights has reiterated the urgent need for legal reforms to combat workplace sexual harassment in Nigeria, emphasizing the absence of comprehensive laws explicitly prohibiting such misconduct in both formal and informal workspaces.

During a one-day roundtable in Abuja, themed “Creating Safe and Supportive Workplace Environments for Women and Girls,” Baobab’s Executive Director, Yeye Bunmi Dipo-Salami, described workplace sexual harassment as a national emergency threatening socio-economic well-being.

She highlighted the limitations of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act, which lacks stringent provisions criminalizing workplace sexual harassment.

Dipo-Salami stressed the importance of domesticating and implementing existing legal and policy frameworks, citing Nigeria’s ratification of international commitments such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention No. 190 (C190) and the Maputo Protocol.

However, she noted that these frameworks do not specifically address workplace sexual harassment, leaving significant gaps in protection and enforcement.

Stakeholders Demand Stringent Policies and Laws

The roundtable convened key stakeholders, including representatives from NGOs, civil society organizations (CSOs), media practitioners, government agencies, and academia. Participants called on federal and state governments to enact and enforce stringent policies and laws to criminalize workplace sexual harassment, ensuring severe penalties for offenders and protection for victims.

In a communiqué issued after the event, stakeholders underscored the importance of impartial investigations and accountability mechanisms. They urged higher institutions and corporate organizations to establish effective reporting and response mechanisms to prevent and address sexual harassment in their respective domains.

Prominent voices at the roundtable included Maryam Mukhtar, Executive Director of Gender Mobile Initiative; Mariya Shuaibu, Executive Director of Voices Beyond Silence Initiative for Justice and Empowerment; Collins Osuji, Media Adviser of SHE PERSIST Coalition (South East); and Dr. Adeyanju Temitope Peter of the University of Abuja. They criticized the legislative gap that allows sexual harassment to persist unchecked and urged Nigeria to fully domesticate and implement international conventions on gender-based violence.

Legislative Action and Community Engagement 

Dipo-Salami emphasized the need for greater representation of women in leadership and governance to strengthen efforts against gender-based violence. She also called for law enforcement agencies, media professionals, and community leaders to actively support initiatives tackling sexual offenses nationwide.

Anne Lawal, Programme Director at Baobab, stressed the necessity of national legal frameworks that explicitly define and address workplace sexual harassment. She noted that while existing laws provide some protections, they do not sufficiently cover workplace violations, making it essential for the government to develop a policy that applies nationwide to ensure women’s rights are protected.

Programmes Manager at Gender Mobile Initiative, Mariam Muktar Ali, highlighted the importance of workplace policies that address sexual harassment, stressing the need for their enforcement and confidential reporting mechanisms. She urged the National Assembly to pass the pending sexual harassment bill, arguing that legislative backing would strengthen workplace protections beyond internal organizational policies.

Manji Danjuma Mangrock, Deputy Chief of Party at the West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP), Abuja, identified a gap in political will for implementing legal frameworks on sexual harassment. He advocated for a bottom-up approach where legal reforms begin at the grassroots level, ensuring community involvement and easier acceptance of policies.

The roundtable also examined the broader impact of workplace sexual harassment on women’s economic participation.

Lawal noted that women make up approximately 49.44% of Nigeria’s population, and their exclusion from safe workspaces negatively affects the nation’s overall GDP. She emphasized that eliminating workplace harassment is essential not only for gender equality but also for economic growth.

Baobab reaffirmed its commitment to fostering safe workspaces and called on all stakeholders including the government, private sector, and civil society to take decisive action in combating workplace sexual harassment.

The event, supported by the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), reinforced the collective responsibility to protect the dignity, safety, and productivity of women and girls in professional and academic settings.