Perverts abound everywhere and many wear
suits.
In this part of the world, Nigeria,
where gender scales in the boardrooms of many organisations are still
tilted towards the males. Many cases of sexual harassment abound with a lot of
them unreported.
From verbal conducts like offensive and
consistent cat-callings to physical touches in sensitive areas and sexual
arm-twisting such as sex for favours. Sexual harassment may present itself
in a variety of forms.
Usually, for the victim, this turns out
to be a difficult experience because of the
psychological trauma and the
challenge of dealing with the sexual harassment in such a way that it won’t
stifle their business growth/ambitions and drain their self-confidence.
There are many different ways you can
avoid sexual harassment, but the appropriate approach may very well depend on
the peculiarity of your situation. Here are a few useful tips that may come in
handy for when such an unsavoury situation presents itself:
1. Don’t give yourself a hard time
To be truthful, part of working together
with men generally involves a lot of simple teasing and sometimes offhand
comments. So, it is not unusual for many male staff to engage in cat-calls with
some even teasing you about dates. It’s the way a lot of them relate, Try not
to sweat it as not all men are all sexual perverts. What you need do is stop
sobering in your cubicle and find clever ways of dishing it back at them.
However, if you are still not comfortable with avoiding sexual harassment with
this tip, see number 2.
2. Be firm…when the situation demands it
Not all jokes are funny, tolerable and
acceptable. And whenever you feel slighted this way, don’t hesitate to make
your position known immediately to the party concerned.
It could be as simple as “OK, Femi, I
don’t find that joke funny and I would appreciate it if you don’t do that
again” or a serious “Emeka, you are making me feel uncomfortable”.
Your facial expression and voice tone
should show firmness and amplify the seriousness of your statement. Say this
out loud where there are people and you will see how the other party will start
to take you seriously. Why? Because nobody likes to be accused of being a perv in
public.
3. Don’t try to date someone at work
This is a bit dicey as you can’t really
tell people where they should fall or not fall in love. But if you do fall in love with your boss or
coworker, understand that there are inherent risk of sexual
harassment especially if things in the relationship turn unsavoury and the
other person happens to be higher in your organisation’s ladder. Count the
costs and if you think it’s worth it, go ahead. Just remember it’s easier to
avoid sexual harassment when you don’t make yourself a cocktail of business and
pleasure.
4. Report if you feel cornered
Even after executing tips 1-3, are there
pervs that won’t get off your back? Yes. In such a scenario, tell someone you
trust and refer the case to the relevant authority which in this situation
should be the HR of your organization. They are trained to deal with issues
like sexual harassment with professionalism and discreetness.
However, if this doesn’t work out, file
a formal complaint with senior management. And in the event that this also
fails, find yourself good legal representation and slam the harasser with a
lawsuit. That would work!
From: Sonibare Kolawole
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