- Lower productivity and higher turnover and absenteeism
- A hostile work atmosphere in the entire company
- Extensive damage for the victims of sexual assault, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders, alcohol and substance addiction, and workplace instability or post-traumatic stress
- A study by the Thomson Reuters Foundation on sexual harassment, access to healthcare, cultural traditions, and economic opportunities for women in 19 of the world’s largest megacities found that the safest were London, Tokyo, and Paris
- The enforcement of the laws protecting women was found to be the reason for the reduced incidence of sexual assault in London
- Cairo was deemed the worst in terms of risk of sexual abuse and violence, followed by Karachi, Kinshasa, New Delhi, Lima, Mexico City, Dhaka, Lagos, Jakarta, and Istanbul (See Figure 1)
- Rape of women over 16 years – 289 cases in 2019
- Statutory rape (sex with girls under the age of consent of 16 years) – 1,185 cases in 2019
- Rape of minors under 16 years – 305 cases in 2019
- Unnatural offences/grave sexual abuse – 710 cases in 2019
- Sexual exploitation of children – 34 cases in 2019
- Demanding sexual favours
- Unwelcome physical contact
- Lewd jokes, emails, and notes
- Displaying sexist posters and pictures
- Incessant staring at women
- Section 345 of the Penal Code (Amendment) Act (No. 22 of 1995) established sexual harassment as a crime, which specifies that a person convicted of sexual harassment is punishable by imprisonment up to five years, with hard labour and/or a fine of up to Rs. 1 million. The compensation imposed by the court to be paid to the victim (the maximum sum that a Magistrate can order to be paid) is Rs. 100,000
- Article 12(2) of the Constitution states that “discriminating against a person based on his or her sex is a violation of a person’s fundamental right to equality”
- Industrial Disputes Act
- Prohibition of Ragging and Other Forms of Violence in Educational Institutions Act
- Bribery Act
- Awareness programmes for men, including teenagers: Men need to understand the viciousness of their actions and the consequences both they and their victims will face. They also need to understand the penalties
- Public monitoring systems: The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) started using drones last week to monitor traffic violations in Colombo. We suggest that CCTVs be made mandatory in buses, trains, bus stops, and railway stations to crack down on the far more serious challenge of sexual harassment. In a country where shopkeepers have CCTVs, it’s not very costly for local authorities to invest in making their towns safer
-
- Holding drivers and conductors legally responsible: These are their buses and their passengers. They must help ensure their safety. Drivers and conductors can move passengers to avoid harassment, take the abuser to the nearest police station or simply stop next to the nearest traffic policeman, or just throw the harasser off the bus. In order to ensure that the drivers and conductors recognise their legal obligations, appropriate training should be given periodically. Ditto for railway staff and school van/staff van drivers
- Bystander intervention training: What should bystanders do when they witness harassment or when a woman appeals to them for help? Training must be arranged in this regard
- Lights, lights, lights: Too many incidents take place after dark. Women going home after work are the most vulnerable. We need proper lighting on our streets, bus stops, railway stations, etc.
-
- Get the corporate sector, schools, and local government authorities involved in awareness creation
- Get mothers and sisters involved in creating awareness: After all, every abuser has a mother
- Separate entrance to police stations for women’s complaints: Police stations have bad reputations as dark and dangerous places. To help female victims, a separate side entrance must be arranged for women to get to the women and children division
- Hospital police posts should have policewomen as well as policemen: Many incidents come to light when victims seek medical assistance
- Public shaming: Publicise a database of convicted offenders
- Change the law: Make it a crime for any person to ignore witnessing harassment without doing something about it
- Siren sound apps: Encourage women and children to download siren sound apps on their smartphones for use if they are harassed
- Helpline/free hotline: Establish an improved reporting system, which specifies the measures that hotlines and law enforcement staff need to take in resolving concerns related to sexual assault on public transport
- Speak out and seek support: A code of conduct must be established regarding public transportation passengers and that code of conduct should be displayed inside buses and trains
- Nationwide campaign/public awareness: Use wall spaces in stations, inside trains, etc. for posters and wall art regarding harassment
- Family support for victims: Create public awareness on how family members of victims should help support victims
- Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry instructions: Should instruct member organisations to ensure that the entire supply chain of every company is clear of sexual harassment; in the same manner there are policies against child labour in supply chains
- Create awareness among corporates and government institutions: In order to reduce toxic work environments for women
- Companies can use pre-training, training and post-training elements: At both the employee and group levels for sexual assault training programmes
(The writers are Managing Partners of Cogitaro.com, a consultancy that finds practical solutions for challenges faced by society and different industries. Dr. Dias is a digital architect and an educationist based in Kuala Lumpur. He holds a BSc in Computing from the University of Greenwich, a Master’s in Computer Software Engineering from Staffordshire University, and a PhD from the University of Malaya. He is completing a second doctorate in Business Administration from Universiti Utara Malaysia. [ruwan@cogitaro.com] Eliatamby is a lecturer in marketing, HR, and mass communications based in Colombo. He is an author and was formerly the associate editor of a newspaper and editor of various industry magazines. He holds an MBA from London Metropolitan University and an LLM from Cardiff Metropolitan University. [niresh@cogitaro.com]) |