Sexual harassment in the office

Jul 20, 2009 Letters

Dear Editor,

I note recently that the ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation) has issued a report which sought to give an overall assessment of the status of women in the work environment in Guyana, from a gender-based perspective.

While I agree that there has been some initiatives that signal a paradigm shift in how the employment policies have embraced women’s issues, there is a quiet storm raging in both public and private sector institutions and companies which was mentioned in passing, but should really be looked at in dept as it affects the core of families in general, this is the issue of sexual harassment.

I think that even though this issue seems to be a legal one because of the fact that there is a perpetrator and a VC whenever it plays out, I still think that it’s justifiable to ask that the Government being the sovereign protector of its citizens in all aspects of their lives should request that companies especially private ones establish clearly defined sexual harassment polices, and I implore all women’s organisations like Red Thread and others who I’m sure get reports on sexual harassment in work places to lend a voice to this campaign.

I work in the social environment and I speak from personal experience as I witness the vicious effects of sexual harassment in the work environment. Just recently my wife after refusing to sleep with her GM was called to a meeting and told that her position was made redundant, because her department was over staffed and ‘they’ decided to let her go. Now Mr. Editor this is the same department which two weeks prior had received hefty bonuses (all her other colleagues except her) while being commended for their contribution to increased sales.

Now this left no room for speculation by the other workmates who then became convinced that she was singled out for this “official” discriminatory action just because she rejected the advances of the ‘man in charge’. Incidentally after several times physically fighting the GM off her person in his enclosed office where the ambit of her duties took her, she reported it to the HR person who in turn responded by saying she doesn’t have any idea of what to do because the GM was not a Guyanese and has always boasted of his clout with the other managers of the foreign based parent company and added to that if she shows any concern in this situation her job may be in jeopardy.

Could you imagine how it feels as a woman who works within a Company that fails to protect her rights and instead panders to the whims and fancies of a ‘Monster’ once profits are realised, while he has the position (and power) to do what he feels, just because the employee is a woman? This is the reality of some of our women folk in the work place.

Mr. Editor this is the reason why the Government, not withstanding, has rightly stated that cases of sexual harassment in the work place never reach the court, but this does not mean it doesn’t exist with a high percentage of women in the office.

It means then that with no pressure on private and public companies and institutions to embrace policies that protect especially our women in the work environment, it is really a disservice to hard working women who posses high self esteem, professionalism and integrity and it facilitates “predators” like my wife’s ex General Manager who continues to abuse his position with impunity. I trust that our President who is on record as saying how important a solid family is, to curb our many social maladies, and the Honourable Minister of Human Services will see it fit to put things in place to expurgate this social atrocity that continues to plague our precious and resourceful wives, mothers and sisters who suffer and seem to have no where to turn, while the ‘social barbarians’ use their companies as safe havens for their nefarious activities.

Colin Marks

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Sexual harassment in the office

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