Sexual harassment is the persistent unwelcome sexual remarks, look and excessive unnecessary physical contact with the opposite sex [a woman in particular], especially in the workplace. It is also an inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favours. It typically becomes a harassment when unwelcome sexual advances is made by a superior employer to the vulnerable, defenceless, helpless, and gullible employee. It becomes a case of nuisance when countless number of complaints is made on several occasions by the victim.
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This mostly makes a person feel threatened, offended, humiliated or intimidated.
Sexual harassment is not interaction or
friendship which is mutual or consensual between partners. It includes a
range of actions from mild transgressions to sexual abuse or sexual
assault. The harasser can be the victim’s supervisor, a superior or a
co-worker.
Sexual harassment can take different
forms; it can be obvious or indirect, physical or verbal, repeated or
one-off and performed by males and females against people of the same or
opposite sex. It is generally aimed at women, although some cases of
sexual harassment have been against men too. It reckons that around 80
per cent of women either are, will be or have been subjected to some
sort of sexual harassment during their working lives. It’s not only a
case of the “office thing,” it can happen to people of all ages, in all
working conditions, in many different parts of the society.
Sexual harassment could be in form of
unwelcome comments about clothes, body or appearance, or suggestive
comments, jokes, insults or taunts of a sexual nature, downright
indecent remarks, intrusive questions or statements about your private
life.
Non-verbal harassment takes the form of
display of suggestive posters, calendars or pin-up magazines or screen
savers of explicit sexual nature around your office space. Deliberate
and obviously staring or leering at a person’s body (or a specific part
of it!) and sending explicit emails or text messages are common forms of
harassment. Some send nude pictures with explicit comments to persons
of their interest. Another form is threatening to post an employee to
far flung remote areas from their family unless they yield to pressure.
Some harassed employees face threat of sacking or compulsory leave even
when the company is short-staffed while others are left on a spot
without any promotion even when it is obvious that they are due.
Sexual harassment doesn’t generally
happen immediately, but often tends to gather momentum over a period of
time. And because of the level of high unemployment and poverty in our
society, many God-fearing, well behaved individuals have yielded to the
pressure of sexual harassment.
But sexual harassment can be handled appropriately.
We must all bear in mind that someone has
to speak out; you can humbly confront the harasser by just making your
point and standing very clear, speaking slowly and clearly, while making
eye contact and maintaining it. You tell them how you see their
behaviour, how it makes you feel and that you want it to stop; do not
allow them to try to trivialise what happens or dismiss your feelings.
Do not apologise or be nervous; if you do that, it will only undermine
the seriousness of what you’re saying. Try as much as possible to have a
good grip of yourself; say your piece of mind in a very respective
manner.
If you find the idea of confronting them
face to face too disrespectful, simply write them a letter explaining
their behaviour and how it makes you feel. Keep a copy of it and say, in
no uncertain terms that if it continues, you will take further action.
Keeping documentation of times and places
where the behaviour took place and whether anyone else was present at
the time can help you in future. If your life or work is severely
threatened, then, it is time to take the matter further. Speak to your
employer, take someone with you if possible as a form of witness, or
alternatively to back up your claims. When all else fails, you can just
hand over the case to God in prayer. But bear in mind that sexual
harassment, in the eyes of the law is clearly unacceptable behaviour. It
is unlawful to harass a person (an applicant or employee) because of
that person’s sex.
- Funmi Akingbade
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