'Nice butt' a no-no in the workplace
Cases of sexual harassment, at a workplace for example, usually boil down to ‘he says, she says”. Yet the biggest challenge with sexual harassment is not just proving that it happens.
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Few people, men or women, know whether their workplace has a sexual harassment policy; still fewer are aware of what it says. Sexual harassment is not just the obvious - where a supervisor asks for sexual favours in return for a promotion. Beware of the more subtle versions.
In one case, two male colleagues discuss their weekend conquests in detail within hearing range of some female colleagues who feel quite offended, embarrassed and even humiliated at the direction of the conversation. They blush and squirm with unease and discomfort at this.
They may be all too aware of the discomfort and offence they endure, but are they aware of what has actually transpired? That by behaving in such a manner these male colleagues are actually sexually harassing them? Do the male colleagues know that such careless banter oozing of misplaced male macho and prowess is actually a violation?
‘Nice butt’
In another instance, a male workmate comments on the anatomy of a female colleague. This indeed could come as a compliment, at least at face value. ‘Hey, Tatenda, your butt is looking very appetising these days. I wouldn’t mind a feel and a squeeze.”
Perhaps a compliment on the outside, but what if the women feels embarrassed at the attention drawn to her body parts and is reasonably shocked by the offence and the sexual innuendos in this supposed ‘compliment”? She may not like it, but is she aware of the magnitude of the violation? Worse still, is she even aware of potential recourse to this, let alone the procedure of addressing it?
People in the workplace should be aware of the facts around sexual harassment and be mindful of the subtle. While most perpetrators and potential perpetrators avoid obvious violations such as rape and others, they do get away with a lot of subtle but poignant violations. And they get away with it because we let them. Ignorance is not an excuse.
Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment. In such a case, submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.
Sexual harassment can occur in a variety of circumstances. The victim as well as the harasser may be a woman or a man. The victim does not have to be of the opposite sex. The harasser can be the victim’s supervisor, an agent of the employer, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, or a non-employee.
Forms of sexual harassment:
When faced with this situation, it is helpful for the victim to inform the harasser that the conduct is unwelcome and must stop. The victim should use any employer complaint mechanism or grievance system available.
During 16 Days of Activism, let’s make it our business to know all the forms of violations against women (and men too). Learn as much as you can about sexual harassment. Ask your human resources officer. If some material is posted at your workplace, READ IT. It is not a wall decoration, it is meant for you to know it and use it for your protection.
Maggie Mzumara is an international media and communications practitioner. This article is part of the Gender Links Opinion and Commentary Service series for the 16 Days of Activism.
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