Take men’s complaints about sexual harassment seriously, government told
Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Alex Tolgos (centre) and other guests join athletes before the start of the Iten End Gender Violence 10km Road Race in Elgeyo Marakwet County on December 05, 2021. The government has been urged to take sexual harassment complaints by men seriously.
What you need to know:
- Victim's tweet drew many reactions, with some making a mockery of his experience.
- Many were quick to discredit his experience, claiming it was mere imagination and that it was impossible for a man to be raped by a woman.
- Others questioned his sexual identity.
One Twitter user by the name Nairobi’s Delivery Guy went online on Thursday to complain about the sexual harassment he had faced while on duty as a delivery person.
He recounted how one of his client’s girlfriends touched him inappropriately as he delivered flowers. He also disclosed that he was conflicted about reporting the matter because he felt it would be awkward to explain to law enforcers how a woman sexually harassed him.
His tweet drew many reactions, with some making a mockery of his experience. Many were quick to discredit his experience, claiming it was mere imagination and that it was impossible for a man to be raped by a woman. Others questioned his sexual identity.
Call to action
Even so, some commenters said such complaints should be taken seriously to ensure justice is served for all regardless of gender. They urged the government to rein in perpetrators.
Sexual harassment can be defined as any conduct of sexual nature that is unwanted and causes offence or humiliation. It may involve a pattern or take the form of a single incident. It may be verbal in the form of unwelcome sexually suggestive comments, unwanted physical touch or, worse, sexual abuse.
Interpretation of sexual harassment by a person is determined by various factors such as religion, education, society in which one lives, and/ or prior sexual harassment experience.
Sexual harassment is a form of violence and can affect any individual regardless of their sex. While mostly female sexual harassment is reported, a study by Norwegian University of Science and Technology has shown that men can also be sexually harassed.
The study, whose findings were published in the Sexuality & Culture journal, also revealed that the perception of harassment differed between men and women. Whilst men considered women’s action as less harassing than theirs, women do not differentiate sexes when perceiving sexual harassment.
Campaign hurdles
Different factors promote sexual harassment against men. They include existing harmful stereotypes of masculinity. Often referred to as toxic masculinity, these refer to characteristics that are traditionally associated with men and contribute to creating unrealistic standards of what it means to be a man. Such stereotypes include aggression and rejection of anything that is deemed to be feminine such as the display of emotion or acceptance of help. These stereotypes wrongly enforce notions that men are immune to sexual harassment.
Another factor is social ridicule. One Twitter user noted that the ridicule men face when they open up was among the reasons many often choose to remain quiet. Ridicule can emotionally harm victims of sexual harassment by adding to their distress.
Victim blaming is another issue. When the experiences of victims are invalidated, it discourages others who have gone through the same from coming out. In the long run, it affects the dissemination of justice because the perpetrators are not held accountable. It can contribute to self-doubt and increase a victim’s suffering.
For any change to happen, it is necessary to start by believing men when they speak up. Only then can the victims begin getting the help they need to deal with the trauma. Believing victims should be accompanied by investigations to rule out chances of false allegations.
