HEIR Women Hub, a social enterprise committed to seeing young women occupy decision-making and leadership positions, has expressed worry over the unending rate of sexual harassment at the workplace, revealing that 79.5% of men have no idea that there is any law that prohibits it as against 20.5% who knows it exists.
This was contained in a report titled “What Do Men Know: A Survey on Workplace Sexual Harassment” conducted by the organisation to assess the visibility of the menace from the man’s lens.
Its Executive Director, Anuli Aniebo Ola-Olaniyi, while giving an overview of the survey during a virtual validation meeting, said the figures are a clear indication that there is inadequate awareness of existing laws against sexual harassment in the workplace due to the lack of reporting mechanisms by organizations.
Workplace Sexual Harassment, she said, presents unequal power relations that have strong links to unequal wage gaps, poverty, and mental well-being.
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According to her, the majority of the 200 male respondents including 25% were People With Disabilities (PWD’s) selected from the public, private and informal sectors aged between 18 and 35 years old who took the online survey are residents of Abuja, while others reside in Lagos, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Bornu, Benue, Plateau Osun, Ebonyi, Delta, Imo, Kano, Gombe and the United Kingdom.
She noted further that 99% of the respondents affirmed that young women are more sexually harassed than men at the workplace, clearly indicating the knowledge gap in that area.
“Every now sample size representing the population so far, men know that young women are sexually harassed. Organizations having policies against workplace sexual harassment and ensuring that such policy is implemented is an effective strategy against workplace sexual harassment. However, 76% of respondents reported that their organizations had no such policies.”
She therefore stressed the need for more sensitization to enlighten organizations and the public on workplace sexual harassment particularly regarding inappropriate comments with a sexual undertone and existing policies against the menace such as the VAPP Act, and International Labour Organization Convention 190 in order to improve their awareness level as well as accountability to effective implementation.
“There is a need for consultation with organizations to ensure that mechanisms for reporting workplace sexual harassment are set up to promote the culture of speaking out against the perpetrators of the barbaric act.
“Strict disciplinary measures should be designed to deter perpetrators from engaging in workplace sexual harassment irrespective of gender,” she stressed.
“Workplace sexual harassment continues to occur due to the level of ignorance traced majorly to the culture of silence that prevent survivors from speaking out against the menace as well as the lack of policy, reporting mechanisms and disciplinary actions set in place by organizations.
“It is therefore important that workplace be made conducive to ensure that young women thrive professionally as workplace sexual harassment constitutes an impediment to growth and progress of any employee,” she added.
