Causes Of Sexual Harassment In The Western Cape

The reasons that so many incidents of rape go unreported to the police include the distress of the fact that the offender is often known to the victim and commonly a member of the victim’s family, unwillingness to cause pain to loved ones, the possibility of negative financial consequences, particularly if the victim is a child and her family depend on the perpetrator’s revenue to survive. The typical victims of sexual harassment are the young, single, college-educated, members of the minority racial and/or ethnic group (if male), in a trainee position, office or clerical position if man and if one has an immediate supervisor of the opposite sex. The causes vary from person to person and have a variety of factors and influences from situation to situation. Factors such as the position of female in the Western Cape contribute greatly in determining the causes of this phenomenon. The environment is also a huge role player, since culture and values are established within it. A phenomenon such as sexual harassment within the Western Cape Province is influenced by many factors; research shows these major contributors to the provinces rate of sexual harassment:

5.1. Socialisation

The way which men and women are brought to perceive themselves and others around them strongly influences how they respond in the community. In areas which are dominated by gangsters such as Cape flats and other areas (mostly in under developed communities), it is acceptable to discriminate against people just because they are different, in terms of gender, culture, religion, lifestyle, area which they are located in (if dominated by a different gang and so on). The abuse of power may lead to humiliation, which is usual in sexual harassment; such a phenomenon ...

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...lic awareness about violence of women as a violation of women’s rights through media and education programs.

• There should be accountability measures in place to ensure the implementations of provisions made in the Sexual Offences Act.

• Captivating continued and sustained measures to address the life impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls.

• Allow reviewing of the states multi-sectorial action plan to combat violence against women.

• Paying attention to the needs of rural women and those who experience sexual violation on their sexual orientation.

8. Conclusion

This report identified that sexual harassment is a major social problem facing government agencies, the community as a whole and institutions today. If everyone confronts this problem, both women and men would be able to work together at institutions and will be able to build less stressful relationships.