Nearly half of women sexually harassed at work: CNV

Nearly half of women in the Netherlands experience sexual harassment at work, according to a study by the trade union CNV among 3,000 workers. “This shows that despite the widespread attention to this theme in the media and all kinds of government programs, it is still a widespread problem in the workplace,” CNV chairman Piet Fortuin told the Telegraaf.

The survey showed that 42 percent of women have been sexually harassed at work at least once. They report things like sexually suggestive comments, catcalling, and unwanted sexual pictures. 17 percent of men reported experiencing sexual harassment at work.

CNV found that sexual harassment is much more common in small companies with fewer than ten employees. Employees of SMEs are more likely to be sexually harassed by their boss and least likely to know where to report it. According to Fortuin, this is because small companies often don’t have a protocol in place to deal with this problem.

“Moreover, in small companies, there is often an old-boy atmosphere. Like: we’re having a good time together, you shouldn’t complain like that, it’s just a joke. Victims more often feel trapped in these companies,” Fortuin said.

Although employers are required by law to have a policy to combat sexual harassment, half of organizations don’t have one, according to CNV. “The smaller the company, the less protocol or policy there is,” Fortuin said. “Developing policy demonstrably works. Larger organizations usually have this and are less likely to experience sexual harassment. For this reason, all organizations must quickly develop a protocol or policy. No matter how small they are.”