A documentary highlighting sex for grades in universities where female students are sexually assaulted continues to divide people. While the majority agree that this is a problem, it is the channel that aired the documentary that is bringing all these controversies.
In October, BBC Africa broadcast a documentary titled sex for grades that covered universities in Ghana and Nigeria. The documentary was met with mixed reactions and sparked a conversation in both countries about the topic.
Airing of the sex for grades documentary
An undercover journalist was able to catch a professor at the Unversity of Lagos and two others in the University of Ghana that practiced sex for grades. The professors demanded sex in exchange for higher grades from female students.
The reaction to the documentary, however, was not a unison condemnation of sexual assaults by these academics on female students. The problem was much deeper than the documentary was able to capture. There was also the problem of how Africa is depicted by the international media, and a lot of people felt this was a continuation of such a depiction.
Some people reacted by first questioning the motives of the messenger rather than listening to the message itself. They argued that the BBC was working to tarnish the good name of these universities. They also argued that the BBC had a hidden agenda while airing the documentary, which they said was stereotyping the countries.
Unreported assaults in universities
However, a conversation is needed regardless of who the messenger is, according to some people. There are rampant sexual assaults that go unreported in the universities, according to Nigerians and Ghana, who watched the documentary.
They argued that sex for grades needs to be addressed, especially in the metoo era, where women are now speaking out against their abusers.
It is not uncommon for academics and other people in authority to ask for sexual favors in exchange for promotions or good grades. They argued that the trend needs to be condemned, and the focus should go to the abusers rather than the messenger who aired the students’ grievances.
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