Group Expresses Concern over High Rate of Sexual Harassment against Women at Workplace

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

HEIR Women Hub, a social enterprise committed to seeing young women occupy decision-making and leadership positions has expressed worry over the unending rate of sexual harassment at workplaces.

It revealed that 79.5 per cent of men have no idea that there was any law that prohibits it as against 20.5 per cent who know that the law exists.

This was disclosed in a report titled, “What Do Men Know: A Survey on Workplace Sexual Harassment,” conducted by the organisation to assess the visibility of the menace from the man’ lens.

Its Executive Director, Anuli Aniebo Ola-Olaniyi, while giving an overview of the survey during a virtual meeting yesterday, said the figures were clear indications that there was inadequate awareness of existing laws against sexual harassment at workplace due to the lack of reporting mechanisms by organisations.

Workplace sexual harassment, she said, presented unequal power relations that have strong links to unequal wage gaps, poverty, and mental well-being.

According to her, majority of the 200 male respondents including 25 per cent People With Disabilities (PWD’s) selected from the public, private and informal sectors aged between 18 and 35 years old who took the online survey were residents of Abuja, while others reside in Lagos, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Borno, Benue, Plateau, Osun, Ebonyi, Delta, Imo, Kano, Gombe and the United Kingdom.

She noted further that 99 per cent of the respondents affirmed that young women were more sexually harassed than men at the workplace clearly indicating the knowledge gap in that area.

“So far men know that young women are sexually harassed. Organisations having policy against workplace sexual harassment and ensure that such policy is implemented is an effective strategy against workplace sexual harassment. However, 76 per cent of respondents reported that their organisations had no such policies,” she added.

She therefore stressed the need for more sensitisation in order to enlighten organisations and the pubic on workplace sexual harassment particularly regarding inappropriate comments with sexual undertone and existing policies against the menace such as the VAPP Act, International Labour Organisation Convention 190 as to improve their awareness level as well as accountability to effective implementation.

“There is a need for consultation with organisations to ensure that mechanisms for reporting workplace sexual harassment are set up to promote the culture of speaking out against the perpetrators of the barbaric act.

“Strict disciplinary measures should be designed to deter perpetrators from engaging in workplace sexual harassment irrespective of gender,” she stressed.

“Workplace sexual harassment continues to occur due to the level of ignorance traced majorly to the culture of silence that prevent survivors from speaking out against the menace as well as the lack of policy, reporting mechanisms and disciplinary actions set in place by organisations.

“It is therefore important that workplace be made conducive to ensure that young women thrive professionally as workplace sexual harassment constitute an impediment to growth and progress of any employee,” she added.