Media and Sexual Assaults on Students in Nigerian Universities: An Overview

Abstract

The issue of sexual assaults mostly on female students and male lecturers in most Nigerian Universities has generated great concern among scholars and members of the society. This study examines the extent to which staff and students define and understands sexual assault in most Nigerian Universities. The paper explores the role played by the media in reporting and preventing sexual assault in most of Nigerian Universities where issues of sexual assaults are being reported and investigated. The paper investigates incidents of rape in Nigerian Universities, looks at the effects of sexual assault on victims and analyzes the role of the media in preventing sexual assault among students and staff of Nigerian Universities. The study employs the Social Responsibility Theory of the press to analyze the role of the press in curbing issues of sexual assault on campuses of Nigerian Universities. The study concludes that sexual assault, especially on female students in Nigerian Universities has positioned the media on the wheels of investigative journalism. The paper recommends that media professionals should intensify their social responsibility role, especially, investigative journalism in order to eradicate sexual assault on female students in the campuses of Nigeria Universities