Schools should protect girls from predatory male teachers

Schools should protect girls from predatory male teachers (Photo: iStock)

I have a challenge with an adult woman pulling out the consent card in a relationship where she has been intimate with a man. I always wondered how an adult of sound mind can go to a single man’s house, even stay overnight, and expect not to be asked for a "bite"—the bite that gave us the word "chewing," or "kukulana" in Kiswahili. I later realised that consent is complex for adults with agency, and nonexistent where a minor is involved.

That is why I understand when a lady brings a friend to a date; she doesn’t feel safe enough. Men should only complain if she brings a basketball team with her. Ladies also inform their close friends or relatives when a man is coming over to their house for manual labour or even deliveries. These are things that might not cross a man’s mind. Men can be creepy, so it's good to be cautious.