Three years have passed since the repeated revelations in the United States about the harassment and sexual abuse of actors and producers by former Hollywood strongman Harvey Weinstein that led to the creation of the #MeToo movement.
The complaints made by Olympic champion Sofia Bekatorou in Greece, made some people talk about the Greek #MeToo, because of what followed. Whether the gold medalist's soul testimony will cause a tsunami of revelations is something that remains to be seen, however, it seems that society and the state have begun to seriously consider how victims should be treated on the one hand and how to protect them on the other. In the near future, the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 190 on the Elimination of Violence and Harassment in the World of Work is expected to be submitted to Parliament for ratification. «No worker should work in fear of violence and harassment,» Maria Syrengela, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, responsible for Demographic Policy and the Family, tells APE-MPA.
The sexual abuse
Sexual abuse can occur in a variety of settings, according to experts, but most cases occur in a safe environment for the victim, such as the home, experts say.
In the workplace and in friendship, abuse is about power. It is about people who feel they can exercise power over other people because of the position they hold.
How to help the person who has been abused
When such an incident becomes known, even people who are willing to help very often make some very common mistakes.
«We have to be there for the person who has been abused, not to judge at all what happened [...], as in the case of Ms. Bekatorou, who some people asked why she didn't tell earlier. It takes a lot of strength for a person to disclose their abuse. Because he relives the whole abusive experience. If we bombard him with questions, we don't show empathy,» psychologist Stella Argyriou tells APE-MPA.
«The wrong questions to ask a person who has been abused are the ones that have to do with details. “And why did this happen to you? Couldn't you avoid it?”, “And how did you deal with it afterwards? And why didn't you come right out and say it?”. In other words, these are questions that do make sense, but they have the logic of a person who has not experienced abuse. At that moment the victim cannot think clearly and probably cannot think clearly for a long time because he or she is going through severe post-traumatic stress,» Argyriou explains and adds: «Instead we need to listen to our children a lot, we need to be present but not be the best friend as they sometimes say. We must be present. We must allow our child to express their feelings, we must respect them in order to teach them dignity and respect. We also need to teach our boys to respect “no” and our girls to say it.» The scientific community converges on the view that a child who has been sexually abused should receive psychological support for him or herself and his or her environment.
«When a colleague is abused we need to make sure that we give them a lot of support when they return to work. And he needs to return to work. He should not feel that he has been deprived of something. One of the key mistakes we make is that we look a bit funny. It's very reasonable if you think about it humanly, but we who are colleagues should lack any sense of criticism and there should be no such stares, which often have to do with satisfying our curiosity. He must feel that we understand him and that we sympathise with him and tell this man that all this could have happened to us. This is a conversation that the victim needs to hear. And the truth is that abuse has no face,» Argyriou says, adding: «To encourage someone to talk we tell them how much we understand them, we avoid judging their actions, we avoid repeating the words rape, the word abuse and generally avoid all those words that can be emotionally charged and we repeat to them that we are there for them. And that he can take as long as he needs to get over it. The environment should never express doubt. So we shouldn't ask questions like are you sure? Did that happen? Did you misunderstand? These are key words that button up the victim again.».
Sexual harassment
It happens mainly to women in places where power is exercised. The boundaries are still blurred in Greece, tolerance and ignorance of the victim's rights in such cases are high. Too often embarrassment, uncertainty and guilt overwhelm the victim. As for the working environment, the reaction is not always appropriate which is due to many factors.
«If we see sexual harassment happening in front of us we have to intervene. Unfortunately, in Greece we believe that something we see around us does not touch us, but it touches us very much. At some point we may have to manage it ourselves. We need the person who is doing the sexual harassment to understand that what he is doing is not right, we need the victim to feel comfortable and comfortable to say that it is not his fault at all and to show the other person that what he is doing is unacceptable and that we will not allow it to happen to anyone else. It is very important in these situations that we all become a team,» stresses Ms Argyriou.
Next steps for the state to protect victims
With the aim of protecting all persons in the workplace, regardless of their employment status, and supporting workers who have been victims of sexual violence, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is expected to submit for ratification in the near future the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 190 on the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work.
This Convention, which is expected to be ratified by Greece, sets standards for harassment and violence related to work, clarifying points that until now have been grey areas.
The extract of the Convention, which was made available to AP-MPA, states that the standards cover violence and harassment that occurs in the workplace, either in the area where a worker takes a break for lunch or rest or in the sanitary and changing room facilities. They also cover violence and harassment occurring during work-related travel, events or social activities, as well as incidents of violence recorded in accommodation provided by the employer and during travel to and from work.
It should be noted that for the adoption of relevant legislation, the provisions of the Convention will be interpreted and then incorporated into Greek law.
«The Convention recognises the rights of all to a world of work free from violence and harassment and covers violence and harassment not only in the workplace as such, but also in any work-related place or situation. No worker should work in fear of violence and harassment. The ratification of the Convention is particularly important if we take into account the fact that violence and harassment at work is a widespread phenomenon in our country as well, which blatantly affects equality of opportunity and the right to decent and safe work and ultimately constitutes an obstacle to the achievement of substantive gender equality,’ State Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, responsible for Demographic Policy and the Family Maria Syrengela told APE-MPA.
As Ms Syrengela stresses, «Member States that will ratify the Convention - including Greece - are committed to adopting a comprehensive policy to address violence and harassment at work. The Convention requires Member States to adopt a strict legislative framework to address violence and harassment at work and to take adequate measures to prevent the phenomenon. The comprehensive policy to combat violence and harassment at work will ensure the design and implementation of preventive and corrective measures, support for victims, protection of all persons in the world of work, regardless of their status, including trainees and apprentices, workers whose employment has been terminated, volunteers, job applicants and employers, as well as the establishment of monitoring mechanisms and the imposition of sanctions. With the ratification of the Convention, Greek legislation will be adapted and strengthened, covering all the requirements of the Convention».
Where victims can go to
Workers who are now suffering violence or sexual harassment at work can report the incident to the SEPE (Labour Inspectorate) and take the matter to the competent administrative authorities and the courts.
Women victims of sexual harassment can contact the SOS 15900 hotline and talk to psychologists and social workers. The specialists on the line, while respecting the confidentiality of counselling, try to help women overcome their traumas and empower them to make the best decisions for their future.
Faye Dulgeri
