Sexual
harassment at the workplace is a violation of fundamental
labour rights, a problem of discrimination, an unacceptable
working condition, an issue of safety and health and a form
of violence primarily against women.
Recognizing the widespread
prevalence of sexual harassment in the workplace and a serious
need to initiate steps towards dealing with sexual harassment
incidents, the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC)
in collaboration with the International Labour Organization
(ILO) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, will launch a “Code
of Conduct and Procedures to address Sexual Harassment in
the Workplace, a Guideline” in a workshop to
be organized on 16 September at the Colombo Plaza Ballroom.
A tripartite subcommittee comprising
of representatives from the Government, the Employers’
Organizations and the Trade Unions developed the Code of Conduct
after an extensive exercise and series of consultations over
the past two years. The Code clearly defines sexual harassment
as a behaviour that is “unwelcome, unsolicited, unacceptable,
unreasonable and offensive to the recipient, of an overtly
or covertly sexual nature” and lays down the responsibilities
of the company in combating incidences of such offensive behaviour.
Sexual harassment in all its forms will be treated as a disciplinary
offence under the Company’s Disciplinary Procedure and
both informal and formal modes of action and the appeal procedures
are concisely specified.
The ILO perceives sexual harassment
as a social and economic problem that is likely to affect
the workers and the employers equally. Therefore, sexual harassment
is a labour and management issue. Since all enterprises are
governed by laws to ensure good conditions of work for all
workers, sexual harassment at workplace is a contravention
of law. It is an attack on a person’s privacy and dignity,
a manifestation of power relations at the workplace. Women
are more likely than men to suffer because they lack power,
are in vulnerable and insecure positions, lack self-confidence
and have been socialised to suffer in silence. These facts
were made clearly evident by a study conducted on “Sexual
Harassment at Work with a focus on the Plantation Sector”
in Sri Lanka by Ms. Kamilini Wijayatilake and Ms Faizun Zackariya,
as part of an Asia Pacific region-wide study on sexual harassment
in 2001..
At the same event, another
outcome of a collaborative effort between the ILO and the
EFC, a study on “Women in Management”
and an initial draft of the “Guidelines on Gender
for Company Policy” prepared by Ms. Maithri
Wickramasinghe and Dr. Wijaya Jayatilake will also be presented
for discussion. A two-phase primary research study on “Women
in Management” undertaken by these scholars during 2002-2003
focuses on experiences of women at the workplace within institutional
structures and practices that preclude gender equity and the
more intangible aspects of organizational culture that impact
negatively on women in management positions. Research findings
are based on a sample of interviews with 100 employers from
diverse institutions, 66 women employees from various levels
of employment, industries, divisions and occupations and in-depth
interviews of 10 working women from within the privates sector
in and around Colombo.
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