By Michael Agaba
Gender minister Betty Amongi has said many male bosses in private and public organisations are using foreign trips to corner their female staff and force them into sex.
Ms Amongi said this common form of sexual harassment is hindering promotion of gender equality practices at work places.
“… the boss has a trip abroad in UK togo and work and he has been making a pass at you, then he says,‘let’s take a trip together.’And you reach UK, you have not been to UK and your rooms are next to each other, strategically,” she said.
“Then now,there you start saying,‘what do I do? This is London,I don’t know any- body,’who are you going to report to?”she added.
The minister said at this moment, even the female staff who has been resisting past advances is cornered and gives in.
“So those are the simple things we are talking about.When you have a colleague who is working and you are a man and you have the power,this person is vulnerable. And so, you use your power to harass us sexually in a workplace and tie it to promotion, tie it to giving us trips, and so many things,” she added.
The minister was speaking in Kampala on Friday during the Gender Equality Seal Awards organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Private Sector Foundation of Uganda (PSFU).
At the ceremony, 40 private sector companies were awarded with the Gender Equality Seal (GES) Gold, Silver and Bronze certification for promoting investment in systems that integrate gender equality within workplaces and business strategies.Another 50 companies received recognition for undertaking steps within the GES certification. Minister Amongi hailed the private sector companies for promoting gender equality.
“For companies that have participated,I want to thank you,I want to congratulate you, and I want to encourage you to set an example for other companies,” she added.
