ADDRESSING SEXUAL MOLESTATION

Jun 06, 2018 Editorial

Sexual harassment in our society is still somewhat muddled in terms of what behaviour is or is not acceptable within our wider societal culture. There are clear lines and prohibitions in society about sexual harassment and other types of behaviour that are not acceptable or should not even be tolerated.
And while there are severe sanctions, including dismissal for those who cross the line, yet many do, hoping that they would get away with it.
Sexual harassment whether in the workplace or on the streets or elsewhere is an uninvited behaviour. It is perpetrated in many forms and its pervasiveness creates an unsafe or hostile working environment. There should be zero tolerance in handling of such behaviour, which could become culturally disruptive to the workplace and society in general.
We are aware of some powerful personalities in the United States, including the popular comedian Bill Cosby and the movie mogul, Harvey Weinstein who in recent times, have had several public allegations of rape, sexual harassment, inappropriate conduct and even criminal assault made against them. Bill Cosby has been found guilty of sexual allegations in a court of law.
Sexual harassment allegations against powerful notables mirror the imbalance of power in the workplace and the broader societies. These allegations fit well with the long-accepted belief that such offensive conduct is one-sided and thrives best in a relationship between the powerful and the subordinate.
However, what stands out is that in almost all of the cases, the victims feel powerless, weak and ashamed for a wrong done to them. When such allegations become public, overt attempts are made to sweep them under the rug and shame the victims.
The vast majority of this type of misconduct in the workplace apparently is never reported. The reason is there is a stigma attached to this behaviour. Twenty–two percent of workers have experienced sexual harassment on the job, but 72 percent of that number do not report it to their employers.
While few statistics on sexual harassment in this country are available, no one should believe that sexual harassment is perpetrated only against women by men. There are reported cases of misconduct against women by women and men by men.
Sexual harassment is very difficult to prove and it is a very sensitive issue. Not only do victims bear the brunt of the burden, but also a person’s character is at stake. But turning a blind eye or being complicit to such misbehaviour does in no way help make the work environment any safer for workers, especially females.
Workers who experience sexual harassment should be able to feel comfortable going to their bosses to resolve the problem.
Locally, the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) is again at the centre of a sexual molestation allegation. This time, it involved an NIS officer and a woman seeking to obtain her husband’s death benefits.
The officer in question had promised to fast-track her claim if she submitted to his sexual molestation advances. The 33-year-old mother of four had tolerated the sexual molestation advances, hoping that the officer would indeed fast-track her claim. But after a year, she was told by another officer that there was no trace of her claim being processed.
However, in light of a report, the NIS has opened an investigation into sexual molestation allegation against the officer and has promised that she would receive her death benefits within a week.
It seems that the same officer has had a troubled past because he was scolded for other similar incidents.

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