Victim blaming is very detrimental to the sanity of Sexual Harassment survivors. This has made a lot of young women hide cases of harassment because of the reactions they would get when they speak up.
From our research on Addressing Gender Barriers against Young Women’s Career Development in Nasarawa State. This project is supported by the Nigerian Women Trust Fund. When the young women we engaged were asked how they’d react to cases of Sexual Harassment at the workplace, here are the responses we got.
- 4 women said they do not know how they’ll react.
- 8 mentioned that they’ll quit the job.
- 10 women mentioned that they would handle it privately.
- 16 women affirmed that they would feel embarrassed, unhappy, and afraid.
- 22 women stated that they would report to the management or take legal actions.
Of course, until implementable policies are put in place, guaranteeing the job security of these young women as well as proper punishment for perpetrators, the end of sexual harassment at the workplace may be far.
Let us not relent in spreading the word until we achieve this victory.
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