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Sri
Lankan Flight Attendants Union celebrate Women’s
Day
By
Nizla Naizer
A workshop organised by the Sri Lankan Flight
Attendants Union to celebrate Women’s Day last
week saw a plethora of interesting topics discussed.
Key among them was sexual harassment and identity issues
of women. The Bottom Line took in a few sessions to
fly with the ideas of the day.
Do not let sexual harassment turn into a way of life-
Maithree Wickremesinghe
Stating that most women have allowed sexual harassment
to turn into an innocuous everyday practice, Dr. Maithree
Wickremesinghe called on women to utilise their rights
and fight the degrading phenomenon that has taken over
the workplace.
Speaking at the workshop organised by the Flight Attendants
Union last week, Wickremesinghe explained that ‘sexual
harassment’ is one of the handful of terms defined
by women and it becomes an issue not only about sex
but also about power. “In most cases, sexual harassment
is a way for a man to assert his power and influence
over a woman,” she said, “and issues like
honour killings, dowry deaths and rape are all part
of violence against women.”
She explained that the issue is aggravated when society
sees acts of sexual harassment as of no consequence,
or even as compliments paid to women. “Women are
targetted for these forms of violence eventually on
the basis of their ‘identity’ as women.”
She informed that out of 25 female employees randomly
selected for a survey, each one had an incident of sexual
harassment to report, but unfortunately these cases
are least highlighted or brought to the attention of
the public. “The media today focusses more on cases
of sexual harassment among migrant workers or free trade
zone employees when the real issue is more commonplace.”
Citing the definition of sexual harassment within the
Sri Lankan Airlines policy, Wickremesinghe urged the
flight attendants to take advantage of the comprehensive
company policy that protects their employees from ‘sexual
harassment’. “While dealing with sexual harassment,
it is very important to differentiate it from romantic
advances that are mutually welcome by the parties. So
the definition for sexual harassment is termed around,
all unwelcome and unwanted advances, requests for favours,
verbal or physical references etc.” She added that
these unwanted and unreciprocated advances or suggestions
represents a form of victimisation and not romance.
Harassers tend to victimise more women who are seen
to be ‘defenseless’ or different in dress
and overall identity. “However, paradoxically,
women who hold high positions are also subject to harassment
in most cases.” She continued to state that the
repercussions of sexual harassment for women in the
workplace have serious consequences, with loss of reputation;
rights of women compromised and marriage prospects undermined
leading to a lot of negative emotions and psychological
issues.
However, women don’t always allow themselves to
be victimised and she pointed out possible action that
can be taken if one is subject to sexual harassment.
“You can respond, verbally respond, physically
respond or seek legal redress.” For legal redress
women can turn to Section 345 of the Penal Code or the
Bribery Act for employees in the public sector or the
Labour Tribunal for the private sector. “There
are Women’s and Children’s Desks in over 32
major police stations across the country that deal with
these issues and for the employees of Sri Lankan Airlines,
the SLA policy on Sexual Harassment is a comprehensive
policy and if implemented can bring the victim a great
deal of relief and compensation.”
Discover your sexuality and find your true identity
– Ophelia Gunasekara
Change is a way of life and not accepting change leads
to resentment, Ophelia Gunesekera, lawyer and activist
said at the Flight Attendant’s union gathering
last week. Speaking on ‘Sexuality and its Relevance
to Women’, she informed the gathering that ‘sexuality’
is the discovery of who you are and what makes you different
to everyone else.
“Women are more often given a preconceived notion
about sexuality from a very young age, which can sometimes
be harmful and stifling,” she informed, “These
preconceived notions are given in order to protect us
from the big bad world, so they are not bad, but there
are dangers as well as benefits.” She added that
discovering and accepting your sexuality is a gateway
to adulthood but this has to be an honest discovery.
“Today we come across people who think it is hip
to be homosexual,” she informed, “but there
are true cases of individuals discovering their homosexuality
later on in life.”
“We are human beings and we are dynamic creatures,”
she stated. “Things change within seconds within
us and you need to understand that dynamism if you are
to move forward. Homosexuality has been around for thousands
of years. We cannot change that, Kings have known to
give protection to eunuchs because they knew they needed
to be shielded from society. But today, we live in a
world where our colleagues can be homosexual. It’s
important to understand them and their needs so we can
work together.”
Have empathy and sympathy towards your coworkers and
colleagues, she urged and remember that sexuality is
the most profound meeting place of culture and nature.
“We’re surrounded by man made situations and
people have a tendency to label others. It happens because
we let them do it.” She urged the young men and
women to empower themselves with the power of acceptance.
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