Feeding the Beast-1

In recent times, some universities and higher institutions in Nigeria have enforced dress codes for their students. The campaign pictures and accompanying messages generally point to the main target of female students often accused of "indecent dressing". However, the danger in this aggressive campaign to create a "uniform" and "decent" population in our higher institutions is the spoken message-bad girls dress "indecently" and invite trouble upon themselves and good girls dress "decently" and stay away from trouble. The implication of this message has seeped out of the universities into towns and cities where police and other law enforcement officers often harass women in public they deem to have dressed "indecently". Some have been arrested, physically and sexually assaulted by these agents of the state who usually act on their own gauging public perception about what is "right" or "wrong" or what is "moral". This is why it is disturbing that our universities, albeit indirectly, should be involved in entrenching this myth about people, especially females, inviting sexual violence or other forms of assault upon themselves by not "dressing well". There has not been any reduction in sexual violence in regions of the world where there is strict dress code especially for women and girls. Sexual violence is an exercise of power and control by the perpetrator over the victim, and not because of "indecent" dressing. Our ivory towers will do well by promoting the universality of learning, research, innovation, excellence etc rather than promote actions that potentially fuel abuse, entrench damaging myths and cause discrimination against persons or groups perceived to be out of the "norm". A cursory look at nature will emphasize its diversity rather than uniformity. And the beauty lies in the diversity!