Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

English translation by community member bmbu.

I am a girl, the mother of a child furthering amicable relations with a boy who would abandon me after. I had to search for how to raise my child by myself. Because of this I had to work in a hospital in Bukavu, as a restaurant manager for the sick interned in the hospital.

The head doctor demanded that I sleep with him so that he would raise my salary. I had a small salary that did not allow me to cover all my needs. Consequently I refused because I understood that I couldn't sell my body and particularly I needed the work. This man became my enemy and began to speak badly about me. He threatened multiple times to fire me, accusing me unjustly of multiple faults. To avoid retaliation I abandoned the job. He wasn't the only one. There were other doctors and even nurses who demanded that I have sex with them so that they could give me benefits.

This situation is common in Bukavu in professional environments.