It is estimated that one in three women will experience physical or sexual abuse in their lifetime.
(Photo by Sharon Seretlo/Gallo Images via Getty Images)
One of the most common human rights violations experienced by many women (inclusive of LGBTI+) across the world is gender-based violence (GBV). It is estimated that one in three women will experience physical or sexual abuse in their lifetime.
According to the World Bank, 35% of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence; 7% of women have been sexually assaulted by someone other than a partner and as much as 38% of murders of women are committed by an intimate partner.
GBV refers to violence directed against a person because of that person’s gender or violence that affects persons of a particular gender disproportionately, more commonly women and the LGBTI+ community. Violence against women is a violation of human rights and a form of discrimination against women. It undermines the health, dignity, security and autonomy of women, yet it remains shrouded in a culture of silence. It is worth mentioning that men and children are also affected by violence of this kind.
Although we speak a lot about GBV, we unfortunately do not speak enough about the rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment that women face in recruitment processes or when seeking economic opportunities and the silencing that comes with it. This issue is something everyone knows about but it is seldom openly spoken about. This is often incorrectly referred to as “trading sex for a job” or “sex for jobs”. Describing it as a “trade” is unacceptable — these “trade-offs” are simply rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment.
It cannot be called a “trade-off” when there is no consent on the part of the woman. The crime of rape is committed when a person has non-consensual sexual intercourse with another person by means of physical force or threats. The offense of sexual assault is committed when a person makes sexual contact with a person, like touching a person’s intimate parts, without that person’s consent and a person commits sexual harassment when there is unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.
Consent is an agreement between participants to engage in sexual activity. Consent should be clearly and freely communicated. Consent cannot be given by individuals who are underage, intoxicated or incapacitated by drugs or alcohol, or asleep or unconscious. If someone agrees to an activity under pressure of intimidation or threat, that isn’t considered consent because it was not given freely. Unequal power dynamics, such as engaging in sexual activity with an employee or job applicant, also mean that consent cannot be freely given.
Unfortunately, women have historically faced numerous barriers to their engagement in the economy. These barriers reduce their employability, constrain their ability to participate on their own terms, restrict the options available to them and limit the likelihood of utilising their full potential to economically empower themselves and grow in their careers.
Recruitment for men and women vary where an exchange is sought by the recruitment team of an organisation. Men often bribe the recruitment team with money or non-sexual favours to get a job but “sex” is the preferred inducement for women to get employment, funding for their businesses or other economic opportunities. Correctly put, recruiters rape, sexually assault and sexually harass women for them to get economic opportunities.
In some industries, especially those that are male dominated, it becomes difficult for women, especially young women, to get jobs, funding for their businesses, government procurement opportunities, promotions, etc, without sexual or relationship advances from men. It is unfortunate that in some organisations, being raped, sexually assaulted or sexually harrased increases a woman’s chances of being employed or being given the economic opportunity they are seeking.
The sad reality is that the women are often exposed to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections because the power dynamics mean it is left to the recruiter or boss to decide whether any form of protection, mostly a condom, is used or not. Unfortunately, the state of women’s economic empowerment leads to concerns about possible HIV infection being less important than the desperate need for money to feed families and support themselves.
This is often one of the main reasons why women do not put themselves forward for higher positions or promotions. Disparities in women’s representation in positions of power is because of the disproportionate burden imposed on women by a culture that discounts the prevalence of rape and harassment and by policies that inadequately address them, allowing them to perpetuate.
The unfortunate part is that speaking out exposes victims to further victimisation and often does not derail the career prospects of the perpetrator. The perpetrators use their power to silence the victims either by bribing them, giving them the desired job, threatening to fire them should they speak out, suing them when they do speak out, resigning from office or violating them further. There is a lack of support for women when they experience these kinds of violations.
It is not only an external battle for these victims, it is also an internal and an economic battle. For example, “There are many women who are believed to have been sexually exploited by the perpetrator in return for permanent positions. Some are managers in different departments and are earning high salaries and they are afraid of coming forward because they think this might lead to them losing their jobs or demotion.” The internal challenges the victims face regarding speaking out are also unfortunate.
Karabo Mokgonyana is an award-winning legal and development practitioner and programme director for the Sesi Fellowship and Skill Hub, a womxn- and youth-led organisation that provides young womxn with mentorship and skills development.