PERVERTS IN POWER.
During the past weekend, I met a few of my friends for brunch. The weather in Nairobi was rather cold for sangria but this would not stop my friends, In their defence, they had been cooked up in their desks the whole week and it was now time to let loose.
The discussions ranged from the latest celebrity gossip, possible entry-level investments, workplace culture and my working as a remote worker among others. One thing that stood out from our discussion is the fact that school had again missed out on an important topic. Sexual harassment in the workplace. When it comes to this issue, no manual was given out concerning the pompous boss with a hidden agenda. The one who was always willing to pay for lunch or in their case delivers drinks for the post-work chill every Friday.No one told us that our the boss would hit some interviews would entail a quid pro quo which involved me lowering my panties in order for somebody's dad to find me worthy of filing the post with only 25k as remuneration.
My friend Lisa detailed her story, her boss was just too friendly from the get-go. He was kind in the interview and once she signed the contract the niceties never stopped.” I had heard so many stories of horrid bosses and I honestly couldn’t be happier having scored a god one”, she said before taking a gulp of her cocktail. Two months into the job, she receives an out of worktext, “Hi, You are so beautiful, I wanted to inquire if you are single?” “Of course, I responded, thinking that because he is my boss I owed him that much”. The job being entry-level was a piece of cake and in no time she was hitting the ceiling. All this came at a cost. The boss wanted more and not the data in the spreadsheets.
He would make me tea and ring it to my desk, it became obvious to the workmates that she was the favourite.”I had to forcefully go on work trips as it was in these their that he would go harm on her. “To be honest, they are al just perverts in power”, she concluded after a lengthy bout of silence. After months of this back and forth and her employment was terminated, without any cause. This is one story among millions of girls and women being sexually harassed at the workplace.
Employees are protected against sexual harassment by section 6 of the Employment Act 2007. Section 6 (1) of the Employment Act, Laws of Kenya defines sexual harassment at the workplace as an instance where an employer, a representative of that employer or a co-worker directly or indirectly requests an employee for sexual intercourse, sexual contact or any other form of sexual activity that contains an implied or express promise of preferential treatment in employment, a threat of detrimental treatment in employment or a threat about the present or future employment status of the employee.
The perverts in power who are either male or female seem to be bigger than this rule for one in three women has faced sexual harassment at the workplace.
Are you a pervert in power, or better yet do you know of one or are you enabling them? If so do you ever think of the effect of their behaviour on the victims?