By Marlene S Charles Thursday, March 7 2013
IN
1993, the United Nations General Assembly defined violence against
women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely
to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women,
including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of
liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life”.
If
you are a female who has worked at least five years in the Caribbean I
am sure you have had that conversation at least once. You know, the
conversation in which some male counterpart feels free to make a
statement that is supposed to be a joke, but leaves you feeling somewhat
uncomfortable. As a Caribbean woman, you have also probably learned
how to deflect or deal with those kinds of conversations, because
somehow, the woman who makes “a big deal” about it is labelled as
unfriendly, strange or as would be uttered in local dialect “fraid man”.
Those unwanted, uncomfortable conversations can be categorised as sexual harassment which would be covered by the definition given. However sexual harassment is not only about inappropriate jokes/comments. It happens when one person displays continuous, unwanted sexual behaviours towards another in the workplace. It can also include inappropriate emails/texts/calls; inappropriate touches; constant unsolicited flirting; inappropriate materials on display or aggressively sexual behaviour. When discussing the issue we are usually given to thinking of it in terms of a male boss-female subordinate scenario. It can however be any variation of permutations and combinations. It can be inflicted by an employer, a supervisor a fellow employee or even a client. It can be male to male, male to female, female to male or female to female. While it bears keeping in mind, that sexual harassment can also affect men, it does seem to affect women more often when it comes to the Caribbean picture. Unfortunately, in the current Trinidad and Tobago scenario there is no standard recourse for the victim. Trinidad and Tobago does not currently have any “real” legislation in place to deal with sexual harassment. Recently, after reading two articles in the local newspapers, I tried to do some research on sexual harassment legislation both in Trinidad and Tobago and the region. The articles both stated that Trinidad and Tobago offers some protection through the Equal Opportunity Act and the Industrial Court, but all my internet searches brought me to the Sexual Offences Act which does not directly deal with the issue. In my search, I was able to find the model legislation produced by Caricom for its member countries. On the ILO’s Database of Labour Legislation, I was able to find links to information on Belize, Guyana and St Lucia only. As a Caribbean country committed to the ratification of the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Trinidad and Tobago ought to have comprehensive legislation in place to handle the issue of sexual harassment.
Given the current paucity of proper legislation at this point, it would seem then that ensuring employees are well protected from sexual harassment is the onus of the employer. The Association of Female Executives of Trinidad and Tobago’s (AFETT) Top5 Report, originally conducted in 2005 and updated in 2011, looked at this as one of the criteria for measuring how well companies looked after their female employees. Sadly, the percentage of companies who indi-cated the existence of or an intention to implement much needed policy was in the single digits.
Not only does sexual harassment compromise safety and equality in the workplace, it can also affect a company’s bottom line. Sexual harassment leads to a stressful work environment. It increases illness and time taken off work. It reduces productivity and can even lead to in-creased employee turnover. Employers must therefore be made to not only create policies that allow us all to feel safe at work, but to uphold them.
There are presently many women with complaints, putting up with hostile working environments because they are worried about retaliation and the possible loss of job security. Legislation would not only lead to a clear definition of Sexual Harassment; but it would also cause all involved to take it seriously and not wave it off as “normal male-female office banter”. Legislation would provide a standard to which all organisations/companies must be held and would therefore guide policy created in each workplace. Legislation would ensure that there is equality in treatment no matter the level (within the company) of the harasser and harassed. Legislation would take away the fear.
Apart from governmental implementation of clear legislation, it is also time for Trade Unions and more men to stand firm on the issue and condemn sexual harassment. While there are already one or two men’s groups in the country, more male voices need to be raised.
On Thursday February 21st, AFETT’s monthly meeting dealt with the topic of Sexual Harass-ment in the workplace. Given the proximity to International Women’s Day and the UN’s 2013 theme —Time for action to end violence against women — this was quite apt. AFETT’s intention is to advocate for the creation of proper legislation. Everyone deserves the right to feel free from the discomfort/stigma of sexual harassment in their workplace.
I invite you to visit AFETT’s website (afett.com) to find out the key points of this extremely important discussion. Learn what you can do now even in the absence of firm legislation.
We all need to be part of this discussion. Let us continue to advocate for the implementation of suitable legislation because no one should have to live in fear of loss of income through no fault of their own or endure the discomfort of sexual harassment at their work place.
Marlene S Charles is the President of the Association of Female Executives of Trinidad and Tobago (AFETT). The Association’s vision is “to be the leading network for professional women in Trinidad and Tobago” and exposes professional women to networking opportunities, leadership training and business solutions. During its ten years of existence, the association has avidly sought to address the needs of women in our society through strategic lobbying and pursuit of projects that actively seek to empower women in the work environment.
Those unwanted, uncomfortable conversations can be categorised as sexual harassment which would be covered by the definition given. However sexual harassment is not only about inappropriate jokes/comments. It happens when one person displays continuous, unwanted sexual behaviours towards another in the workplace. It can also include inappropriate emails/texts/calls; inappropriate touches; constant unsolicited flirting; inappropriate materials on display or aggressively sexual behaviour. When discussing the issue we are usually given to thinking of it in terms of a male boss-female subordinate scenario. It can however be any variation of permutations and combinations. It can be inflicted by an employer, a supervisor a fellow employee or even a client. It can be male to male, male to female, female to male or female to female. While it bears keeping in mind, that sexual harassment can also affect men, it does seem to affect women more often when it comes to the Caribbean picture. Unfortunately, in the current Trinidad and Tobago scenario there is no standard recourse for the victim. Trinidad and Tobago does not currently have any “real” legislation in place to deal with sexual harassment. Recently, after reading two articles in the local newspapers, I tried to do some research on sexual harassment legislation both in Trinidad and Tobago and the region. The articles both stated that Trinidad and Tobago offers some protection through the Equal Opportunity Act and the Industrial Court, but all my internet searches brought me to the Sexual Offences Act which does not directly deal with the issue. In my search, I was able to find the model legislation produced by Caricom for its member countries. On the ILO’s Database of Labour Legislation, I was able to find links to information on Belize, Guyana and St Lucia only. As a Caribbean country committed to the ratification of the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Trinidad and Tobago ought to have comprehensive legislation in place to handle the issue of sexual harassment.
Given the current paucity of proper legislation at this point, it would seem then that ensuring employees are well protected from sexual harassment is the onus of the employer. The Association of Female Executives of Trinidad and Tobago’s (AFETT) Top5 Report, originally conducted in 2005 and updated in 2011, looked at this as one of the criteria for measuring how well companies looked after their female employees. Sadly, the percentage of companies who indi-cated the existence of or an intention to implement much needed policy was in the single digits.
Not only does sexual harassment compromise safety and equality in the workplace, it can also affect a company’s bottom line. Sexual harassment leads to a stressful work environment. It increases illness and time taken off work. It reduces productivity and can even lead to in-creased employee turnover. Employers must therefore be made to not only create policies that allow us all to feel safe at work, but to uphold them.
There are presently many women with complaints, putting up with hostile working environments because they are worried about retaliation and the possible loss of job security. Legislation would not only lead to a clear definition of Sexual Harassment; but it would also cause all involved to take it seriously and not wave it off as “normal male-female office banter”. Legislation would provide a standard to which all organisations/companies must be held and would therefore guide policy created in each workplace. Legislation would ensure that there is equality in treatment no matter the level (within the company) of the harasser and harassed. Legislation would take away the fear.
Apart from governmental implementation of clear legislation, it is also time for Trade Unions and more men to stand firm on the issue and condemn sexual harassment. While there are already one or two men’s groups in the country, more male voices need to be raised.
On Thursday February 21st, AFETT’s monthly meeting dealt with the topic of Sexual Harass-ment in the workplace. Given the proximity to International Women’s Day and the UN’s 2013 theme —Time for action to end violence against women — this was quite apt. AFETT’s intention is to advocate for the creation of proper legislation. Everyone deserves the right to feel free from the discomfort/stigma of sexual harassment in their workplace.
I invite you to visit AFETT’s website (afett.com) to find out the key points of this extremely important discussion. Learn what you can do now even in the absence of firm legislation.
We all need to be part of this discussion. Let us continue to advocate for the implementation of suitable legislation because no one should have to live in fear of loss of income through no fault of their own or endure the discomfort of sexual harassment at their work place.
Marlene S Charles is the President of the Association of Female Executives of Trinidad and Tobago (AFETT). The Association’s vision is “to be the leading network for professional women in Trinidad and Tobago” and exposes professional women to networking opportunities, leadership training and business solutions. During its ten years of existence, the association has avidly sought to address the needs of women in our society through strategic lobbying and pursuit of projects that actively seek to empower women in the work environment.
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