By Olasunkanmi Akoni

Lagos State Government, thorough the state Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team, DSVRT, has expressed determination to prosecute perpetrators of sexual harassment in the workplace.

Coordinator of DSVRT, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi who disclosed this said the state government had commenced, “Lagos Says No to Sexual Harassment in the Workplace.”

“Sexual harassment is a crime and the state government reserves a right to intervene. While corporate organisations were encouraged to have structures in place for reporting steps are on to ensure safe spaces from impact of sexual harassment which includes: depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, among others,” she said.
Similarly, Vivour-Adeniyi added that DSVRT engaged over 100 Human Resource Professionals and Psychologists from various corporate organisations at a workshop organized by Employee Assistance Professionals Association saying that the engagement was focused on the impact of Domestic Violence in the workplace.

She said:“The participants were informed of what Domestic Violence is, the negative impact of Domestic Violence on survivors some of which include inability of victims to fully participate in the workforce, reduced productivity, frequent absenteeism, loss of job, potential harm to employees, co-workers and/or customers when violent abusers enter the workplace. This can be dangerous, as companies may be held liable if violence erupts on their premises.

“A survey was conducted on the impact of Domestic Violence on the workplace, and majority of results indicated victims could not concentrate as a result of the issues they faced at home. A majority of women sampled also said they recorded a number of mistakes, felt tired at work due to sleep deprivation and generally unable to work well.

“Corporate organisations therefore need to be awakened to the reality that this and more can be hidden issues in workplace wellness and productivity.”

The coordinator however, urged sexual harassment and domestic violence victims to reach help on hotline, 0813-796-0048 or by dialing *6820#, “is readily available to assist.”