Sexual harassment in workplace

IN the Western world we see people using the hash tag "#MeToo" on social media to raise awareness about sexual assault and harassment. A post in twitter shared by Hollywood actress Alyssa Milano explains that if people who have been sexually assaulted or harassed use hash tag "me too" it might give people an idea about the magnitude of the problem."

Women in our country are also harassed in different ways at their work places. But most of them keep quiet for fear of social stigma. But I honestly think that time has come when women in our country need to raise their voices against all kinds of harassments in workplace so that the offenders cannot take advantage of their silence. I was reading a news item about a woman who had been working in an NGO and later resigned when she got no response from higher authorities regarding her complaints against a superior, who often tried to exploit her sexually.

Thankfully the woman did not remain quiet and took the matter to the police. I hope the law enforcing agency will investigate into the matter and the guilty person will be brought to book. We must understand that our continued silence on such matters will not bring any positive change to the situation as more and more women are joining the mainstream workforce every day. We must be united and rise against sexual harassments in workplaces.

Ayesha Afrin

Uttara, Dhaka