Almost half of all women are sexually harassed at work: CNV

Almost half of all women in the Netherlands experience sexual harassment in the workplace, according to a study of 3,000 employees by the CNV union. “This shows that despite the great attention this issue receives in the media and in all kinds of government programs, it is still a widespread problem in the workplace,” CNV chairman Piet Fortuin told the Telegraaf.

The survey found that 42 percent of women have experienced sexual harassment at least once in the workplace. They report things like sexually suggestive comments, lewd remarks and unwanted sexual images. 17 percent of men said they had experienced sexual harassment in the workplace.

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 are the least likely to know where to report it. According to Fortuin, this is because small companies often do not have a protocol to deal with this problem.

“In addition, small companies often have an atmosphere like in the old days. It’s like: we’re having a good time together, you shouldn’t complain like that, it’s just a joke. Victims often feel trapped in these companies,” said Fortuin.

Although employers are required by law to have a policy to combat sexual harassment, half of organizations do not have one, according to the CNV. “The smaller the company, the fewer protocols or policies there are,” said Fortuin. “Developing policies has been proven to work. Larger organizations usually have them and are less prone to sexual harassment. For this reason, all organizations need to quickly develop a protocol or policy. No matter how small they are.”