Politicians, celebrities and social media users have joined thousands of people calling for action after a BBC Africa Eye documentary exposed sexual harassment at two top universities in West Africa.
The year-long investigation, which was released on Monday, focused on the University of Lagos in Nigeria and the University of Ghana. The film showed lecturers propositioning undercover journalists, leading to the suspension of three academics pending investigations.
Nigerian actress Dakore Egbuson-Akande spoke out on Instagram about her own experience of sexual harassment and called for a #TimesUp-style movement against harassment and abuse in the region.
Some academics use their position to force students into having sex
The documentary highlights a phenomenon in which some academics use their positions of power to force students to have sex. Nigeria's First Lady, Aisha Buhari, said at a premiere of the film on Monday that the situation “simply has to change”.
She called for allegations to be dealt with properly and for victims to be supported rather than victimised or stigmatised. The first lady of Ekiti state, Bisi Fayemi, also spoke out about her own experience of harassment, saying that “the culture of silence has endured long enough”.
The two Ghanaians featured in the film have denied allegations of “sex for grades”
Two of the academics featured in the film, Professor Ransford Gyampo and Dr Paul Kwame Butakor, have denied that they were offering “sex for grades” in the undercover exchanges.
The University of Ghana has suspended both academics pending an investigation. The University of Lagos has also suspended a lecturer who was caught on film propositioning one of the undercover reporters, who posed as a 17-year-old.
The BBC has already received more than 120 personal stories of alleged abuse and harassment in education since the documentary aired.
The revelations call for a “moment of reckoning” for the country
The speaker of Nigeria's House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, said that the revelations call for a “moment of reckoning” for Nigeria.
The film has sparked a widespread social media response, with the title “Sex for Grades” trending on Twitter in both Nigeria and Ghana.
Many users have called for a swift response and shared their own experiences of harassment and abuse. The BBC Africa Eye team spent a year investigating the issue, speaking to current and former students, some of whom made allegations against university staff while remaining anonymous.
