Anti-Sexual Harassment Policy in the Workplace in Ethiopia and Djibouti

Sexual harassment at the workplace occurs in all countries in the world. However, the way it is dealt with greatly impacts its prevalence, as well as the support and justice available to those who experience it. Research by the WHO (2020) found that sexual violence in Ethiopian workplaces is a significant issue, with sexual harassment being a common form of this violence. Our client employs intercultural teams and has strong integrity principles, including a Zero-Tolerance Policy on Sexual Harassment in the workplace. Nevertheless, addressing sexual harassment requires constant effort to change patriarchal attitudes and cultural norms, promote gender equality, and create safe and respectful workplaces.

Sexual harassment is a sensitive topic. To mitigate resistance and foster accessibility we held online and in-person training sessions separately for management, project staff, and support staff, in English, Amharic and French. We also utilised anonymous polling software to allow participants to express their opinion without needing to speak up. To enable participants to share their specific experiences with less pressure to perform their gender role in front of the opposite sex (cf. Butler 1999) some of the training sessions were conducted in gender-homogeneous groups. People's different cultural norms can sometimes facilitate conversations around difficult topics but may also hinder them in some instances. Our trainer team was composed of an Austrian woman and an Ethiopian man to cater to different needs of the training audience. Upon consultation with the client’s risk management office, we added women-only trainings sessions on how to stay safe as a woman on missions traveling to remote areas.

Based on the feedback from the training sessions, we recommended actions for ongoing sensitisation activities regarding the Zero-Tolerance Policy on Sexual Harassment in the workplace and the corresponding reporting mechanism. These activities also include information on the underlying causes of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and involve creating a space for open dialogue. This enables employees to express their concerns, discuss how to recognise signs as an affected individual or as an observer of certain behaviours, and understand how to respond appropriately. To measure the impact of these activities we developed an evaluation framework. According to this framework, a mid-term increase in reported cases would indicate growing trust among employees in the company's support structures. Over the long term, we anticipate a reduction in cases as potential perpetrators become aware that their actions will not go unpunished.