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Yeukai Karengezeka Herald Correspondent
Tertiary education students have called for an urgent review of the sexual harassment policies as cases of abuse are on the rise.

The call  was made by Students and Youth Working on Reproductive Health Action Team (SAYWHAT) programmes manager Mrs Vimbai Mlambo at the recent sexual harassment consultative forum in Harare.

The forum was held as part of the National Students’ Conference, which brought together students from across tertiary institutions in Zimbabwe, Government departments and civil society organisations.

“We cannot continue to sit back in our comfort zones under the pretext that colleges now have sexual harassment policies,” said Mrs Mlambo.

“Rather, there is need to investigate if those policies are working to address the gaps and review them to be effective enough to deal with this challenge.”

Sexual harassment remains one of the critical challenges facing university students.

Due to various factors, many of the cases go unreported.

Dean of Students at the Harare Institute of Technology, Mr Joshua Chandauka, noted that sexual harassment was a serious problem that needed to be dealt with at national level.

“It is not just about colleges,” he said. “Students leave for industrial attachment, and without a national policy framework that protects them from sexual harassment, students will still not be safe in the work environment.”