Attitude and Perception as Associated Risk Factors of Sexual Harassment of Secondary School Girls in Abak Lga, Akwa Ibom State

Abstract

Sexual harassment occurs when people are targets of unwanted sexual comments, sexual gestures, or sexual actions and, for many years, this has been a major challenge among secondary school girls. School girls have been plagued by sexual harassment occurring in school; a place which was meant to be a safe environment where girls acquire knowledge needed for future development has become an unsafe environment where girls are sexually harassed. This study therefore examined how the perception and attitude of secondary school girls predict the possibility of their sexual harassment. To achieve the purpose of this study, 384 questionnaires were administered to secondary school girls through a 3 stage multi sampling. The data were analyzed using simple percentage and chi-square P≤0.05. The study found that students have poor perception and negative attitudes toward sexual harassment and these are risk factors of sexual harassment. The study recommends that students develop and maintain a positive perception and attitude so as to help them to avoid being sexually harassed. Students should report any case of sexual harassment in school and such complaints should be made to people in authority not just to friends and fellow students.