‘Weed out sexual harassment from workplace’

NATIONAL Employment Councils (NECs) should ensure their sectors have sound sexual harassment policies and procedures that can protect workers from potential abuse that leads to trauma and depression.

This emerged during the recent 9th annual National Economic Councils Symposium in Victoria Falls where participants drawn from different sectors concurred that there is serious harassment at the workplace.

The meeting noted that the new Labour Act has expanded the work spaces to include public places such as workshops, canteens or public transport, which has brought new challenges.

Sexual harassment refers to any behaviour characterised by making of unwelcome and inappropriate sexual remarks or physical advances in a workplace or other professional or social situation.

Many of such behaviours have reportedly been going on unnoticed by authorities and at times subjecting the victims to trauma, depression, low productivity and low turnover for the companies.

The need to speak out on issues of sexual harassment, mental health, drug and substance abuse became topical amid calls to develop robust and relevant response mechanisms without leaving the informal sector.

Participants suggested that wearing uniforms to work could help in the fight against sexual harassment as it will be easy to identify people through their work attires.

In her presentation, National Aids Council representative Ms Agnes Dembedza said some careless culture involving non-verbal communication, body language, display of pornographic material and other forms of harassment affect social and psychological aspects of a person, reduces company turnover and tarnishes image of organisations, among other effects.

“There should be a zero tolerance policy, regular training and awareness, establishing clear procedures for investigation, crafting evidence-based anti-sexual harassment policy and ensuring that all staff understand sexual harassment policy and every employee should have it,” she said.

“We should develop effective preventive procedures as everyone has the right to work in a safe and respectable environment.”

Speaking on the same issue, prominent lawyer Dr Rodger Matsikidze said some of the sexually connotative actions may be forgiven in the first instance but warrants criminal charges even in retrospect if the victim feels uncomfortable.

He challenged Zimbabweans to familiarise themselves with the Labour Act as it has expanded to include sexual and economic harassment.

“Laws of sexual harassment are outdated and need to include discrimination and other issues. These are some practices that torture workers at the workplace and can cause trauma and depression,” said Dr Matsikidze.

“We need a discrimination, harassment and violence policy and the employer has the responsibility to make sure sexual harassment doesn’t happen at the workspace and you will find that the new Labour Act has taken social gatherings as work spaces.”

Speaking on the same issue, Deputy Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Cde Mercy Maruvadinha, said sexual harassment was one of the vices that lead to low representation of women in the work space, political spheres and other platforms.

“Low representation of women is because of sexual harassment,” she said.

Members from all the 48 NECs attended the conference that ran under the theme: “Capacitating the National Employment Councils for Compliance with Regulations in meeting the current and future challenges.” — @ncubeleon