Real Life Real Faith Christmas Magazine (2) | Page 10

ORGANIZATIONAL POLICIES AGAINST SEXUAL HARASSMENT -
DO THEY WORK?
Is our quest for real gender equality or do we simply want
to fill our mouths with meaningless words?
Recently I attended a focus group discussion where the
main topic was "what is it like to be a woman in the
organization you work for"? Having covered several
managerial roles in the organization for which I previously
worked, I can tell you that, irrespective of the geographical
location, sexual harassment in the working place was a
recurring theme - from the sexist comment or joke to the
physical, unwanted touching, committed by a diverse range
of male colleagues, from the European to the African to the
Middle Eastern co-worker. Whilst open minded, I am not
ready to receive such comments from people with whom I
would simply like to collaborate professionally. My working
environment should be a sanctuary, not a trap.
Bottom line, being a woman in the humanitarian
environment, is nothing less than being a woman elsewhere
in the world, unless you live a remote lonely life in a remote
lonely place and have no contact with humanity. It means
being exposed to all sorts of comments, especially when
you are in a position of power.
 think the question should be different: It should be "What
can we, as on organization, do to make you - female
employees - feel safe in your working place?". And indeed,
thereRecommendation one: Recruitment.
I am not speaking about quotas but about attitude. We have
made giant steps in the battle against racism, and we are
now horrified by racist statements. But what about sexist
statements? Would an interviewer hire someone who is
blatantly racist during a job interview? The answer is no.
Would you hire someone who makes a sexist comment just
to get a laugh from the panel? The answer is yes.
Let us start by adding a general "gender-attitude" question
in the human resources screening process, and let us give
that question significant weight - and the possibility of
outright rejection of the applicant - regardless of the
candidate's qualifications.
There is no difference between a racist joke and a sexist
joke, because both aim to prejudice an individual on the
basis of immutable characteristics or harmful stereotypes.