AMAMIHE Journal of Applied Philosophy

Sexual abuse of underage, vulnerable primary school pupils by adults, both outside and within their living spaces, is a great concern to society. These children are found to be taken unawares by their perpetrators, who intentionally lure them through forms of endearment and coercion. The rate of violence against underage pupils has prompted UNICEF to highlight the need to protect children from violence and rape, whereas the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 5.2 and 16.2 call for the elimination of violence against women, girls and children. Evidence and narratives over time on incidents of rape indicate ignorance of the red flags, or knowledge of the signs of sexual harassment cues, which eventually lead to rape. It then becomes imperative for the education of the girls on the various aspects of sexual harassment, which include touching and non-touching clues. This project aims to ascertain the level of awareness of the constituents of sexual harassment by the primary school girls, and specifically, to sensitize these young female pupils in Basic 4 to 6, within the ages of 8 and 12, in public schools in Awka South LGA on the red flags for sexual harassment. The project involves a mixed-methods approach, a random selection of five public schools, and the administration of guided questionnaires. Using the framework of Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, which highlights learned behaviours and reinforcement, it is expected that the girls would identify sexual harassment clues and consciously escape sexual violence. The research observed a low level of awareness of the red flags of sexual predation by the pupils and advocates intensive sensitization on sex education in public primary schools, and community monitoring and advocacy

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