Mouvement pour l'Égalité entre les Femmes et les Hommes
Sexism at work : inseparable from harassment at work ?
FAQ
Sexual harassment is a set of gestures, attitudes and words having a sexual connotation and being likely to undermine the dignity and integrity, moral and/or physical, of a person, thus becoming a victim.
An act of sexual violence is voluntary contact in the sexual areas. The sexual areas are mainly: the genitals, the oral area (lip and tongue), the breasts, the neck, the inside of the thighs and the ears.
Listen: you must first listen to your colleague;
Discuss: you need to discuss with them to find out what they think about this situation, convey to them the message that these acts are intolerable and constitute criminal offenses, tell them that you are there to help them in their efforts and inform her of the steps she can take;
Institution: She can turn to an institution or an advisor within the company in a confidential manner. Witness(es): if you witness these acts of sexual harassment you can testify about it in a procedure.
Yes, you can report the facts in place of a colleague to either the employer or the unit set up against sexual harassment at work within the company.
It is advisable to discuss these acts of sexual harassment with the victim to show that you are there, that they are not alone in the problem. By talking with her you will also be able to help her morally, in her efforts and above all you will be able to listen to her…
First of all, you need to talk to people you trust. colleagues (HR,…) friends, family…. your employer union organizations rights defenders.
If you don’t talk about it, you run the risk of feeling unwell, working less well, not wanting to go to work or many other things. Talking about it is a way of saying no to the facts that are happening. Normally, you are protected against retaliation after a complaint. Your employer should not take any negative action towards you. He should do everything to help you and resolve the problem.
Your word! You must rethink every action, every word… Text messages, Emails, Voice messages, Recordings, Post-its with inappropriate little words, Screenshots of messages and other things (photo,… ), Eyewitnesses, indirect, etc., These must produce a certificate.
There are 2 types of witnesses: direct and indirect witnesses. Direct witnesses: these are witnesses who have seen/heard the facts. Indirect witnesses: these are the people to whom you spoke about it or who noticed a deterioration in your state of health.
Protect your employees Practice prevention Train staff in a climate of non-violence within the company Raise awareness through posters Set up a listening cell, a referent… React when facts are reported to them to guarantee protection of its employees Listen to the victim Sanction the person who committed the acts.
An employer who does not take measures even though these measures have been proposed by the prevention advisor, who does not actually fulfill his obligations as an employer, can be prosecuted by the labor inspectorate and ultimately even by the court.
