HEIR Women Hub (HWH), a social enterprises leading advocacy against workplace sexual harassment, has reiterated urgent need for implementation of sexual harassment policies in workplaces across the country.
This was the core of discussions at the Virtual Validation Meeting on Examining the Adoption of Sexual Harassment Policies in Organisations and Proposing Strategies for Implementation, convened recently by HWH with the support of the African Women Development Fund (AWDF) under the Kasa Initiative, to validate findings from recent research into the state of sexual harassment policies.
The meeting drew participation and stirring speeches from leading gender advocates, civil society actors, researchers, and public officials, as they discussed the adoption and implementation of sexual harassment policies in Nigerian workplaces.
In her opening address, the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Domestic Violence Agency, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, emphasised the urgent need for robust policy frameworks to address sexual harassment in the workplace, stressing the importance of translating policy into meaningful, enforceable practice.
Vivour-Adeniyi noted that in Lagos State, sexual harassment is not only a violation of human rights but also a major obstacle to productivity, inclusion, and employee well-being.
According to her, addressing workplace sexual harassment is a matter of significant importance, not only for Lagos State government, but for creating safe and respectful workplaces across Nigeria.
“We are gathered today for a crucial purpose, to validate research that examines the adoption of sexual harassment policies within organizations. The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency recognizes that sexual harassment is a pervasive issue that violates fundamental human rights and undermines the dignity of individuals. It creates a hostile work environment, hinders productivity, and has far-reaching consequences for the well-being of employees and the overall success of organizations.
“This research is vital because it provides us with evidence-based insights into the current state of policy adoption. It helps us to understand the extent to which organizations have implemented comprehensive and effective sexual harassment policies. It also helps us to understand the challenges and barriers that hinder the adoption or effective implementation of such policies. It helps us to understand best practices and strategies that promote a culture of respect and accountability within the workplace,” she stressed.
“The findings of this research will be invaluable in informing our interventions, policies, and advocacy efforts. It will empower us to work more effectively with organizations to create workplaces that are free from sexual harassment. At DSVA, we remain committed to preventing and responding to all forms of sexual and gender-based violence, including sexual harassment in the workplace,” she added.
She noted that the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency work to promote and provide support and redress for survivors, hold perpetrators accountable, promote awareness and education, advocate for the implementation of robust policies and legal frameworks.
“This is because we recognize that a critical aspect of prevention is ensuring that organizations have clear, accessible, and effectively implemented policies on sexual harassment. These policies are not merely documents.
“They’re a cornerstone of a workplace culture that values respect, dignity, and safety. We have been actively engaging with the private sector to provide training and technical assistance on the development or implementation of sexual harassment policies. Today’s meeting is a crucial step in ensuring the rigor and relevance of this research.
“Your expertise and insights as stakeholders are essential to validate the findings, enrich the recommendations, and chart a course for action. We expect that this validation process will confirm the accuracy and reliability of the research findings, provide valuable feedback and perspectives from diverse stakeholders, generate actionable recommendations for organizations, policy makers, and other relevant actors, strengthen partnerships and collaboration in the effort to eradicate sexual harassment in the workplace. I urge all participants to actively engage in this validation process, share your knowledge and experience, and contribute to the development of strategies that will make a real difference in the lives of working people,” she added.
She, therefore, called on all to work together to create a future where every workplace is safe, respectful, and free from the scourge of sexual harassment.
“I want to celebrate HEIR Women again for this landmark initiative. And do know that you have solid partners at the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency,” she assured.
The Executive Director of HEIR Women Hub, Anuli Aniebo, while presenting the key findings from the research conducted in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), highlighted the prevalence, awareness, and gaps in policy implementation across various organizations.
“We speak to the research that we conducted, which is about the implementation of sexual harassment policies in our workplaces by HEIR Women Hub (HWH). The research that we did, which is focused on examining the sexual harassment policies in organizations, used the FCT as our starting point, and we were supported by the African Women Development Fund (AWDF),” Aniebo stated.
“The reason why we’re running a validation meeting, as hopefully most of us may know here, is to again share with you what we found in the field as we went to engage targeted audiences, and then be able to bring it back to you here with evidential data, suggesting that the narrations that come from the data that we’ve collected share the pain points with you, the gaps, our recommendations and you know, our feedback.
“And then, of course, most importantly, as key members of the community and stakeholders get your feedback as well. What we do with your feedback is to incorporate this into our final report. We create an infographic out of what we have collected from the field and from you, and then produce a robust document that we use to further our advocacy in championing the case against sexual harassment at workplaces.
“This project we started a little over five years ago when we were funded by the Ford Foundation, where we were also looking at the prevalence of sexual harassment at workplaces. This gave us some huge data to, in my opinion, confirm what the whole narrative is — that there is a prevalence of sexual harassment at workplaces.
“What we then did was ensure that we moved on to find out: what are the gaps? Who are the instigators? What is causing sexual harassment to be acceptable as a norm in our environment? And then we went on to ask different questions. What this project is looking to do is to try to begin to tackle what the problem is and provide solutions.
“So the objective of this study is to ensure that we see how far — first of all — do we even have the sexual harassment policies in organizations? If we do have them, how are they being benefited? How are they being implemented? Do the staff of the organization know about this? That is the broad objective of why we carried out the study.
“We employed an exploratory, mixed research approach into this study design. Basically, it’s looking at 50 employees in 10 different organizations cutting across the public, private and development sector, starting with the Federal Capital Territory. We analyzed our data — we conducted a questionnaire and also held face-to-face in-depth interviews.
“And as you can see by the data, over 60% of respondents did say that they are somewhat familiar with what sexual harassment is. From our experience, we really need to first of all describe and explain what sexual harassment is before they now actually understand. So you can immediately see that there’s a knowledge gap there.
“Nearly all of the respondents actually agree that it is a big issue in our country, in Nigeria. Over 94% agree that sexual harassment at workplaces is very much thriving, and it exists, and it’s a major issue.
“Over 78% believe that it’s an organization’s responsibility to ensure that they prevent workplace sexual harassment. And while 60% of respondents believe that there is a formal sexual harassment policy in their organization, the question remains — have they ever seen it? Do they know how it works?
“Over 60% of the respondents said they have internal reporting systems, but 20% were unsure, and many said those systems are rarely used or trusted. When it came to sensitization and training, over 50% revealed they had never received any formal sensitization on sexual harassment since joining their workplace.
“These data points are troubling and underscore the importance of this project. Our theory of change is simple: if strong policies are in place and implemented, sexual harassment will be reduced, and workplaces will be safer for everyone,” she added.
The meeting concluded with a resounding call for stakeholders, employers, and policymakers to act decisively by not just crafting policies, but by training employees, enforcing guidelines, and fostering a culture where respect and accountability are non-negotiable.
In her goodwill message, the Chief Social Welfare Officer, Federal Capital Territory Administration Women Affairs Secretariat, Jacinta Ngozi Ike, said enhancing the welfare of workforce will ensure that everyone feels valued and protected.
“Creating and implementing effective workplace sexual harassment policies is not just a regulatory measure; it reflects our collective responsibility to foster a safe and respectful environment for all individuals.
“Together, let us work towards a future where every individual can pursue their endeavours free from harassment and where respect and dignity are upheld as fundamental values,” she stressed.
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