Sexual harassment has been an age-long canker and in recent times victims of sexual harassment are rising up and sharing their experiences as seen by the “Me too Movement”. However, there are many who still suffer in silence especially in developing countries like Ghana. In October 6, 2019, an undercover documentary dubbed “sex for grades” by BBC has exposed how grave the issue of sexual harassment is in our environment. Thus, it is imperative that the issues related to sexual harassment are discussed.
One may ask, what constitutes sexual harassment? Sexual harassment can be defined as unappreciated sexual advances, demands for sexual favours, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, which affects the work performance or creates an offensive working environment for a person (Hejase, 2015). Sexual harassment is not only limited to the workplace, it may occur at home, in the school, in the church, at the market, and on social media.Examples of unwanted conducts may include; sexual comments and jokes, suggestive looks or staring, intrusive questions about a person’s private or sex life or discussing your own sex life, and unwelcome touching, hugging, massaging or kissing.
Even a conduct that may seem mild to the harasser can lead to the violation of the victim’s dignity and create an offensive environment. However, this is dependent on the victim’s perspective and whether his or her reaction is reasonable in all circumstances. For example, some individuals are not able to differentiate between harmless greetings and sexually arousing hugs, the inability to distinguish between the two might be termed as a “green light” or an encouragement to the conduct. Sexual harassment is not gender dependent and can be experienced by someone of the same sex or different sex.
Most victims of sexual harassment find it difficult to stop their harassers especially when the harassers are in positions of authority.
Sexual harassment occurring amongst those in authority and their subordinates is the most popular type of sexual harassment. Examples of this type of sexual harassment include; student molested by the lecturer for higher grades,
Sexual harassment can be avoided by doing the following:
- Creating Awareness. In any legal environment a clear and bold statement saying: “Sexual harassment is unlawful” might do the trick.
- Also, there should be a policy on
commitment to a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment; - A defined reporting channel for students, staffs
and colleagues; - A clear definition of sexual harassment with examples relevant to all individuals;
- A range of appropriate consequences and sanctions if harassment occurs;
- There should be available information about support and advice services.
In conclusion, it is essential to create awareness about sexual harassment in all social environments including the workplace and home. It is only by doing so that victims that have fallen prey to sexual harassment can break their silence and help create further awareness to stop the perpetuation of this canker. Also, proper channels and support systems should be made available to address issues related to sexual harassment in all social environments.
By Miracle Able Peters
Reference
Hejase, H. (2015). Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: An Exploratory Study from Lebanon. Journal of Management Research, 7(1), 108.
Equality and Human Rights Commission. (2017). Sexual harassment and the law: Guidance for employers
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