SWEET TALK OKAY SOMETIMES

LABOUR Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus has announced the National Workplace Policy on Sexual Harassment has been finalised and in TT generally occasional compliments were not considered sexual harrassment.

She was making a statement in Parliament yesterday.

“For far too long, victims of sexual harassment in the workplace have borne pain and suffering in silence as the perpetrators of this disgraceful and unacceptable behaviour have utilised intimidation, victim shaming and abuse of power to get away with it, without facing any sanction or penalty. However, Madam Speaker those days are over.”

She reported her ministry began the consultative process for the policy with national stakeholder consultations on the Draft National Workplace Policy on Sexual Harassment in Trinidad on June 1, 2018 and Tobago on June 22, 2018.

She said stakeholders who contributed to the development and finalisation of the policy included: employees, trade unions, employer representatives, government representatives, representatives of statutory agencies, representatives of non-governmental organisations, citizens, students, and people who identified themselves as survivors of sexual harassment in the workplace.

Baptiste-Primus reported 90 per cent of stakeholders in attendance at the consultations agreed with the areas identified in the policy and 95.5 per cent indicated that they believed the policy could effect positive change in the workplace.

“The recommendations, suggestions and comments of stakeholders were carefully considered in the finalisation of the National Workplace Policy on Sexual Harassment, 2019, and I take the opportunity to thank each and every one who has contributed to (it).”

She reported the National Women’s Health Survey for TT, 2017, commissioned by Caribbean DEVTrends and the Inter-American Development Bank, identified that 13 per cent of women experienced sexual harassment at work, on the job, in public transport and public spaces, with the highest prevalence of this type of harassment being in the form of electronic messages with sexual content (eight per cent) and being groped in a public space (seven per cent).

“The survey also suggested that in certain instances, as many as 84 per cent of sexual harassment experiences were unreported.”

She said the objective of the policy was to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, identify and address relevant issues, and provide guidance on actions that might be taken by stakeholders in addressing this issue. She pointed out one of the most important elements of the policy is that it clarifies the ambiguity of what is sexual harassment in TT by setting out definitions, identifying core values and aims, amongst other important concepts and identifying the actions all can take in roles at the workplace to address this issue.

“In defining sexual harassment in our cultural context the policy also explains that occasional compliments that are socially and culturally acceptable and appropriate are generally not considered sexual harassment. The perceptions in different contexts of what constitutes sexual harassment in the workplace are extremely diverse, but the key characteristic of sexual harassment is that it is unwelcomed and/or unwanted by the recipient.”

Baptiste-Primus pointed out sexual harassment could occur at all levels within the organisational hierarchy structure and can occur male to female, female to male, male to male and female to female. She stressed the policy applied to all employers, prospective employers and workers, including household assistants, apprentices and trainees of all forms of enterprises in the public and private sectors.

“It would be remiss of me to not recognise that migrant workers experience sexual and other types of exploitation as well as sexual harassment at work. Migrant workers and in particular female migrant workers face several vulnerabilities and I wish to make it pellucidly clear that this policy applies to all workers, regardless of their residency status.”

Baptiste-Primus told Newsday the policy would be available on the ministry’s website by Monday.

Prof of Gender and Cultural Studies Patricia Mohammed at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine campus told Newsday she welcomed any initiative in this direction but she would have to see the policy before making any further comment. Trustee of the Network of NGOs of TT for the Advancement of Women Hazel Brown said she could not speak on the policy until she had a look at it but recalled comments had been invited on the draft policy.