A Kenyan based catalyst for Africa women’s right, Equality Now, the WORLD Policy Analysis Centre in collaboration with The World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law project, recently held a capacity building and knowledge exchange workshop of African stakeholders, called HerSafeWorkplace, on issues of gender based workplace discrimination including sexual harassment, in Nairobi, Kenya.
The three-day conference themed: A Better Workplace and Environment for Women: Achieving the SDGs, Law, and Policy in Africa, brought together partners, activists, and researchers from eleven African countries to discuss critical issues and possible solutions for tackling sexual harassment and workplace discrimination towards women.
It was learnt that more than one-third of the countries in the world do not have workplace prohibition of sexual harassment. This becomes hard to create her safe workplace. As such, there is an urgent need to address the existence of judicial gaps by reducing the burden of evidence and bias against women.
Based on the findings presented at the conference, the burden of proof, lack of social support services and inadequate training of the police unit stood out as some of the barriers to a safe workplace for women.
Stakeholders in attendance said in order to create a safe workplace for women, some gaps like having specific legislation on gender discrimination needed to be filled; and also that monitoring mechanisms need to be put in place on the roles of statutory organisations in order to end discriminations.
Defining the concept of an ideal workplace, the Global Executive Director, Equality Now, Yasmeen Hassan, said an ideal work environment for women was one that is comfortable and devoid of fear of harassment. ‘‘As a woman, the ideal workplace I think, is some place which is fun, that’s comfortable and a place that you would never even have to think that you could be harassed,’ Hassan said.
In the same vein, expressing her thought on what constitutes an ideal workplace, Faiza Mohammed, Director, Africa Office, Equality Now, opined that, ‘‘An ideal workplace foar a woman is a place that caters for her needs both professionally and socially. It’s a place where she is dignified, considered a professional because of her knowledge and expertise and treated with high regard. A place where if she has a baby she can nurse her baby, so all the facilities have to be provided’’.
For Ibrahim Tommy; a participant, “An ideal workplace for women will be a place where women will have the sense of safety and security; where they’ll feel that their contribution is valued and they never entertain a fear of being harassed either by their superiors or even their colleagues”.
Commenting on the essence of the meeting another participant, Isabella Muthoni, said that “In many instances, more than we’re willing to admit, women are asked for sexual favours to get or keep a job that she’s already qualified for”.
“Sexual harassment doesn’t have to be a sexual overture. It could be being put down, not listened to, because you are a woman,” explained Crystal Simeoni, another participant.
Also present at the conference, Nigeria’s Anisa Ari Amunega, Lead Programme Coordinator, Women’s Right Advancement and Protection Alternative, WRAPA, said, ‘‘Campaigns against sexual harassment at the workplace and consensus building among country stakeholders is necessary to end sexual harassment’’.
The conference which started on Monday, 28th of May and ended on Wednesday 30th of May, trended heavily on social media with the hash tag ‘HerSafeWorkplace’.
This, though it may seem coincidental, provoked a response from the Nigeria Senate which passed a Motion on the growing trend of sexual harassment in our higher institutions of learning –with a spotlight on the case of Monica Osagie, an Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, student who named her lecturer in a ‘sex-for-grades’ scandal.
Sponsored by Biodun Olujimi, the Senate’s resolution mandated its committee on Tertiary Institutions and Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to carry out a full scale investigation on the case of Monica Osagie and the OAU lecturer named in the sex-for-grades scandal. The resolution also observed that Osagie’s experience justified the specificity and target of the Sexual Harassment in Tertiary institution Bill passed by the Senate in 2016, and the need to ensure that such pervasion is curbed in places of learning.
“As we all know, we have passed this bill as far back as 2016. Therefore, we will definitely act through the Leaders and Management to see that the House of Representatives can quickly concur on this. We must show that we do not stand for this and we are not going to tolerate it pending when the new bill becomes law. I must commend the bravery of Monica Osagie for her effort,” Senate President, Bukola Saraki said.
The Senate Motion also called on the House of Representatives to move quickly to pass the Bill on Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Educational Institutions (Prohibition) which has already been transmitted for concurrence.
Desmond Okon
