THE RAVAGING STORM OF INDECENT DRESSING.

Of course “the way you dress, is the way you are addressed” this means that the way we dress will go a long way to determine how people approach us. Indecent dressing is an abnormal way of dressing. Indecent  dresses  -- sense  seeks  to  expose  private  and sensitive  parts of the body  which normally should be  concealed from the public  gaze.

Indecent dressing according to answer.com is dressing in a way that is likely to shock or offend people. Most often, the male and female gender are seen flaunting “mind-blowing” areas of the body all in the name of fashion. The main aim of wearing clothe is to cover the sexual and sensitive parts of the body but it seems  its purpose  is unknown by defaulters and when  purpose is unknown, abuse is inevitable. As mentioned earlier, both sexes are guilty of exposing these sensitive parts of the body like: the buttocks, breast, thighs, belly and under-wears for us to see.  The guys let their trousers go down low” to show off their inner-wear. Could it be that things have fallen apart and the center can no longer hold? Youths of today in higher institutions of learning in Nigeria have formed it as an habit to dress indecently. However, students of university of Jos have expressed different views on this development which is alien to African culture.

Ifeanyi Umeh, a 400 level student of building   while commenting on this menace in university of Jos, sees indecent dressing as when youths dress in an improper  manner  in the name of fashion. He also said that spate of indecent dress on campus is like canker-worm which is eating deep into the fabrics of the university  community.

On  who is to be blamed  and why  youths dress indecently; a student of  mass communication department, University of Jos, Ejike Emmanuel said everyone is to be blamed but a colossal portion  of the blame should go t o the media. He said the media is so powerful and has the ability to control how people think, talk and dress. Most improper dress attitude we see on campus   are as a result of the movies and music and videos we watches on daily basis. He said people dress indecently for many reason(s) , that some dress to attract   and seduce the opposite sex while others do so because they see it as the trend in the society. Some others dress to impress or fell like they belong.

On the other hand, Esther  Silas, a 200 level student of rehabilitation sees indecent dressing as a relative term she said dress styles we might consider as indecent  in Nigeria might not be considered as such in another country. She is of the opinion that most cases of indecent dress are mostly found among the female gender and only few cases  among the male gender.

In situation like this, there are always consequences. Indecent dressing is seen as one of the major causes of the incessant cases of rape and sexual harassment of the female gender across our campuses in Nigeria.

CLEEN  foundation, an NGO which  promotes public safety, security and justice  conducted  a nationwide surveys by undertaken in 2005. The figure of the research shows that, in 1999, there were 2,241 cases of rape and indecent assault. In 20000, 1500 cases were reported and 2001, 2,284; in 2002, 2,084; in 2003, 2,250; in 2004, 1,626 and in 2005, 1, 835 cases were all reported in 2005. It was reported that only one in fifty (50) rape cases were actually reported. Most cases of rape are not reported because of the different dimension of heavy social stigma.

Ifeanyi Umeh and Esther Silas are of the opinion that to curtail the spread of indecent dressing in university of Jos, the school administration should but strict measures in place to punish defaulters.

In the words of Ifeanyi Umeh, “indecent dressing can be curtailed in this ways. By introducing dress codes in every department, this will go a long way to reduce the   indecent dresses worn by the students to school. Another way indecent dressing can be curtailed is when youths take personal decisions to do away with any form of dressing that exposes their body parts since it is alien to African cultures.