Warm My Bed and Get Your Promotion!

We all love working in a secured and conducive environment. Job security is another thing everybody wants irrespective of gender. However, achieving this can sometimes become challenging than acquiring the job itself. Even more challenging when you’re a lady; A young, pretty and smart lady. From the moment you go job hunting, to your working years, you face one form of harassment to another. While most harassers are aware of the negative impacts their behavior and actions have on you and the progress of the organization, others simply perceive it as normal.

So What Is Sexual Harassment?

It is define as coercion of a sexual nature and the unwanted or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In simple language it is unwelcome sexual attention in the work environment, which could be expected to make a person feel offended, humiliated or intimidated and affect their ability to do their job or learn. It can be physical, verbal or written.

In offices in most cases, this occurs when a person in a position of power uses that power to coerce a subordinate into providing sexual favors. The imbalance of power creates a situation in which the subordinate does not feel free to say “no.” In The Gambia, women mostly fall victims, as culture have induced them to be timid, tolerant and submissive to men. As a result, they are continually harassed and intimidated. Most women go to work unhappy in anticipation of putting up with their bosses’ immoral behavior which is aim at demoralizing their values. This creates a kind of pressure which demotivates and limits women’s ability to showcase their full potentials. And with most perpetrators, there are no exceptions as to whether the victim is married or single.

These behaviors may include:

Unwanted, repeated requests for dates

Attaching personal conditions to your rightfully deserved promotion and personal development as a staff

Offering employment in exchange for personal attention

Sexual touching

Sexual jokes and innuendoes

Repeated attempts to turn a professional relationship into a personal one

What causes/result to sexual harassment

While there are many root causes to this illegal yet hardly talked about act, the factors below contribute to instances of sexual harassment at work:

Socialization and cultural norm/set ups

Poor management and abuse of authority and power

The desire to protect occupational territory

Lack of/inadequate company policy

Improper response to harassment complaints

Lack of moral values and ethics

Job instability and desperation

Reliance on Supervisors or Bosses for career success and development

Immodest and irresponsible dress code

So the question I have is what is the role of Human Resource departments in organizations in The Gambia? How are these departments supposed to be empowered to deal with such illegal acts? Why aren’t women speaking up? Sexual harassment is hindering our progress as individuals, as institutions, and as a country. Women can offer much more than you can imagine, without necessarily having to spread their legs to get the job nor rightful benefits for development at work. So stop exploiting them!

Women empowerment is achievable but only when men stop seeing women as sexual objects and manipulate them to satisfy their libido.

Let’s share Knowledge!