Addis Ababa, November 13, 2011 (Ezega.com) -
“I was sexually
harassed by an Ethiopian lobby security guard in my luxury high-rise office
building in California. I don’t know him by name, he doesn’t know my name, and
I found the whole thing frightening and embarrassing,” says Christine* a
Caucasian American woman who wrote to me recently in response to an article I
had written about sexual harassment in Ethiopia.
Christine was horrified at the persistent harassment she
received from the security guard.
“The guard would leer and look at my body up and down.
According to him, he and I needed to take a vacation together,” she explains.
Christine was humiliated by the unwanted attention of the
security guard. She was forced to avoid the lobby of her office building in a
bid to get away from her harasser. She
remembers many incidences of lewd harassment over the four years of her
employment.
Christine was particularly frustrated because she didn’t
think that there was anything in her person on attitude that encouraged such
attention.
“I may be an American, but I am very modest and conservative
in my dress, values, conduct, morality, and beliefs. I would never travel anywhere with any man
who was not my husband” she says discussing her frustration at the treatment
she received.
It was soon obvious, however, that the offensive attention
of the security guard was not necessarily reserved to just Christine. Other
women in employed in the office building started to complain of being afraid to
use the lobby because of the harassment they received.
“One woman said that he started to sexually harass her, when
she stepped off the elevator, thinking that she was by herself. A friend of hers was waiting to meet her and
he was standing by a wall in the lobby and saw the entire incident of sexual
harassment, unknown to the guard that he was being observed by a witness. Her
friend was angry by what he witnessed the guard do” says Christine.
Christine finally decided to take the matter to the building
manager. The building manager however failed to see her side of the problem,
being inclined to protect the interests of the property he managed.
“I was screamed at by the building manager for reporting and
asking that he stop this conduct which is outlawed in the United States and
California” she said.
Nor did Christine receive any better treatment from her
bosses. They too wished to stay away from the legal implications of the
problem. She however found support from other tenants of the building.
“Other tenants were kind to me and supportive as in
California as business owners they can be sued for the guard’s sexually
harassing conduct of their women employees, sued by the federal government and
state governments in special administrative courts, or be sued in civil
court. Employers are required by law to
stop this illegal conduct” according to Christine.
In Christine’s opinion sexual harassment has many
multifaceted problems attached to it.
“Sexual harassment is also bad for business, can harm
business relationships, embarrass, anger, and upset clients and guests, cost
people business. Many people will not complain, they will just take their
business elsewhere. And that is bad for
anyone’s business.”
Unfortunately Christine illegally lost her job for reporting
her harassment to the authorities and the matter is now being handled by the
government for violations of California law.
Our interest in this story obviously emanates from the fact
that the Christine’s harasser is an Ethiopian. We don’t know for sure if this
man is simply of Ethiopian heritage or if he is a recent immigrant. What seems
to be apparent is an apparent ignorance of the implications to treating women
as if they were nothing more than objects.
Our culture is just now beginning to pay attention to
aggravated cases of sexual abuse with barely any understanding of the more
subtle forms of sexual harassment. Most think that such treatment is merely
harmless flirting. Women are expected to be flattered by such attention or at
least ignore if it is offensive.
A woman who chooses to challenge is herself to be criticized
for drawing attention to herself and making a big deal out things. Not many are
willing to accept that such treatment undermines the self esteem of young
women. It should never be culturally acceptable to make a woman feel like an
object to be goggled at and appraised for the pleasure of the opposite sex.
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