WORKPLACE SEXUAL HARASSMENT; A GROWING CONCERN

In today’s world, women play a vital role equal to men in the private and public sectors—ranging from physical labour to space exploration.

- K. Yogeshwari

In Sri Lanka, private-sector female workers; employed mostly in shops, malls, garments and small industries, don’t work continuously in one place due to various reasons. As a result, organised-sector Trade Unions (TUs) are unable to mobilize them.

Although the ‘Shop and Office Act’ of Sri Lanka guarantees the rights of private-sector workers, employees are unable to enjoy these rights due to a lack of knowledge on labour rights and employers denying them these rights. For example, workers often do not mobilise due to ignorance on the right to association.

These labour rights violations cause many female workers to fall victim to workplace sexual harassment. Women who face sexual harassment in the private and public sectors, hesitate to complain against the perpetrators. Further, they are forced to tolerate such harassment due to the non-existence of a proper complaints mechanism.

Workplace sexual harassment is a global phenomenon. Considering this, the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 2019 set out to define what workplace sexual harassment is and proclaimed Convention 190 on Sexual Harassment. Importantly, the Convention outlines what sexual harassment is, and the methods of such harassment.

The Convention is important as it seeks to eliminate workplace sexual harassment. Unfortunately it has been ratified by just two countries, and Sri Lanka has not ratified it. If the government ratified the Convention, it would allow the enactment of laws to prevent workplace sexual harassment to combat the widespread problem.