The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has said although claims about sexual harassment by lecturers are rife on campuses, there is little evidence to back them.

UTAG President, Samuel Nkumbaan, said Tuesday that it has become difficult to put a figure on sexual harassment victims on campuses across the country.

Mr Nkumbaan also said there have been a significant number of allegations of sexual harassment by female lecturers against male students. He notes that these types of allegations are always swept under the carpet.

He said, however, that when there have been enough evidence of sexual harassment by lecturers, they have been punished.

Mr Nkumbaan made the comments in reaction to a recent exposé by the BBC on sexual harassment and sexual abuse on university campuses in West Africa.

The piece, titled Sex for Grades, implicated some lecturers in West Africa including University of Ghana’s Professor Ransford Gyampo, Paul Butakor allegedly making sexual advances to undercover journalists who had posed as students.

One Nigerian lecturer, Boniface Igbeneghu, was also implicated in the video.

Mr Nkumbaan said at least two university lecturers have been sacked in the last five years over sexual abuses at the University of Ghana.

“Some have lost their jobs; others have had some other sanctions provided it was established against them by evidence,” he said.

He told JoyNews’ Maxwell Agbagba that UTAG is strongly against sexual harassment by its members.

He indicated that UTAG is a professional body, conscious of its code of ethics and will not tolerate any compromise from its members.

Dr. Nkumbaan added that the organisation through orientation provides its members with their code of ethics and expects then to abide by them, however, individuals who go against them are left to be dealt with by law provided there is evidence against them.

“In the case of lecturers, UTAG will always have orientations for newly appointed lecturers on these policies that the university has played out with them,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chairperson for the Anti-Harassment Committee of the University of Ghana says actions will be taken against anyone found culpable of sexual harassment and sexual abuse.