Male Bosses Exploiting Foreign Trips for Sexual Harassment, Says Uganda’s Gender Minister

According to Ugandan gender minister Betty Amongi, numerous male executives in both public and private sectors are taking their female employees on international business trips in order to coerce them into sexual relations.

Ms Amongi stated that the promotion of gender equality policies in the workplace is being impeded by this prevalent type of sexual harassment.

“… the boss has a trip abroad in UK to go 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.

This is the breaking point, the minister continued, adding that even the female employees who have fought off previous advances would often cave.

“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 delivered her speech on Friday at the Gender Equality Seal Awards in Kampala, which was hosted by the Private Sector Foundation of Uganda (PSFU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Forty private sector organisations were recognised at the ceremony for their commitment to gender equality in the workplace and in their business strategy. These organisations received Gold, Silver, and Bronze certifications from the Gender Equality Seal (GES).

Fifty other businesses were also acknowledged for their efforts under the GES certification framework. Minister Amongi further commended the efforts of private sector organisations to advance 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.