Why #endSAcultureinCMUL Is Trending
We talk a lot about misogyny and sexual assaults perpetrated by medical practitioners. What happens when we realize this is not something that just started by the time said doctors started practicing in their various fields? What happens when sexual assaults are committed by medical students who we are supposed to hand our health, trust and confidentiality to in the nearest future?
On Sunday 30th June 2024, a #endSAcultureinCMUL began to trend on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter).
From this hashtag, it was brought to light that quite a number of male students of the College of Medical Sciences at the University of Lagos have been sexually harassing their female counterparts.
A Mr. Otokiti Oluwagbemileke 200 level student of Pharmacy was called out for harassing a female student from the same faculty in a school’s memo. The said offender was asked to pay just a token of 5,000 naira (approximately 3USD) and a written apology for an offence of such gravity.
Surprisingly, the fine for an offender of this nature is 2,500 naira. This meagre amount is per the university policy, revealing that this student in question is a repeat offender.
This however is not the first and only case of sexual harassments faced by the female students of CMUL. Quite a number of names have also been mentioned in several of the school’s memo that is been circulated. Why is a fine being paid for sexual assault? Why are these students not being brought to book to face a panel and be punished for their crimes?
One would wonder why the authorities of this faculty and UNILAG at large have taken these grievous offenses with such levity.
Seeing as no form of discipline have been meted out on the perpetrators of such crimes. And these are supposed to be the people who will be in the consulting room with us in the future? These people who are meant to be handing out prescriptions to patients in the nearest future.
In the course of hours that this issue started to trend, other victims have also come out to share their ordeals. They speak about how the faculty and school authorities always shut them up incidents of harassments are reported. They talk about how they are being told not to spoil the name of the school.
Are the authorities of Unilag not breeding a horde of rapists this way? The school is festering an environment for abusers with their continued silence on this matter. Some of the victims also talk about how they are told to dress “modestly” so as not to “tempt” their male counterparts, to stay away from study areas where these activities are “common”. This is victim blaming at its peak and it’s appalling that this is coming from an institution of learning.
The names of these students who have decided to make College of Medical Sciences and the entire Unilag unsafe for female students must be mentioned. For Otokiti Oluwagbemileke, a repeat offender, sexual assault is not big deal as he still had the courage to contest for a pageantry at his faculty and participate in various extracurricular activities. Adigwe Samuel is not a respecter of consent as he recently assaulted a fellow student while she was sleeping at a study area. Chibueze Nwammah will soon become a medical doctor who will harass his patients as nothing was done to him after sexually assaulting about 30 female students in his faculty. Likewise a Leke and Ajibola, whose names were also mentioned in the school’s memo.
The 5,000 naira fine for sexual assault is a mockery of these victims and not just them but other victims of sexual assault everywhere. All guilty parties must be brought to book. They must pay for their crimes. They must be rusticated. The authorities of Unilag must also investigate other cases of sexual assault in the school and stiffer penalties must be put in place to serve as deterrent for people like Adeniran Abdulsalam a CMUL undergrad, who thinks it’s okay to mock the victims on group chats.
Following the outcry of people in the past twenty-four hours, the authorities of the University of Lagos have released an official statement. However, this is a small drop in the ocean of what is expected of the school authorities act upon concerning this matter.
Several organizations like WARDC and LagosDSVA have also weighed in on the situation to offer their support to the cause for a wider reach.
A petition calling for the accountability of the sexual assault cases in the school is ongoing.
Sign here to support the cause:
#endSAcultureinCMUL