Experience of Non-Consensual Sex among Students in a Tertiary Institution in Ibadan; Nigeria

Non-consensual sex (NCS) is a major problem that disproportionately affects young persons. Studies on NCS in Nigeria have focused on secondary schools students with limited attention paid to students in tertiary institutions. This study therefore explored experiences of NCS among students of a polytechnic in Ibadan, Nigeria. A total of 594 randomly selected students completed - questionnaires which explored experience of NCS and help-seeking behaviour.The mean age of the respondents was 22.7 ± 2.9 years and 58.9% were females. Fifty-six percent of respondents had experienced sexual intercourse; of this number 9.0% reported that their first sexual intercourse was due to rape. Forty-seven percent of the entire sample had ever experienced at least a form of NCS out of which 70.5% were affected during the six months preceding the study. Forms of NCS experienced included unwanted touch of breast or back side (26.4%), attempted rape (14.0%) and rape (5.7%). Rape victims consisted of 5.3% of males and 6.0% of females. Predictors of the experience of NCS were alcohol consumption (Odd Ratio [OR] =1.7, CI =1.17­ 2.52), being a female (OR =1.9, CI =1.34 ­ 2.72) and having a friend of the opposite sex (OR =2.4, CI =1.04­5.52, p =0.04). Well known friends of the victims were the major perpetrators of all forms of NCS. Most (86.6%) of those who reported experience of NCS did not seek redress or medical care. Non-consensual sex remains a major problem among students of tertiary institution. This underscores the need to develop intervention programmes such as health education and sexual harassment prevention policy to reduce young people's vulnerability to NCS in tertiary institutions

Sexual harassment in Dentistry: prevalence in dental school

OBJECTIVE: Sexual harassment is unlawful in all work and educational environments in most nations of the world. The goals of this study were to describe the sexual harassment prevalence and to evaluate the experiences and attitudes of undergraduate students in one dental school in Brazil. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An 18-item questionnaire was administered to 254 dental students with a completion rate of 82 percent (208). Students were requested to respond to questions about their background and academic level in dental school, their personal experiences with sexual harassment and their observation of someone else being sexually harassed. Bivariate statistical analyses were performed. RESULTS: Fifteen percent of the students reported being sexually harassed by a patient, by a relative of a patient or by a professor. Male students had 3 times higher probability of being sexually harassed than female student [OR=2.910 (1.113-7.611)]. Additionally, 25.4 percent of the students reported witnessing sexual harassment at the school environment. The majority of students did not feel professionally prepared to respond to unwanted sexual behaviors. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that sexual harassment can occur in a dental school setting. There is a need for ongoing sexual harassment education programs for students and university staff. Increased knowledge of sexual harassment during graduation can better prepare dental professionals to respond to sexual harassment during their practice.