South America-Sexism
2-9-1994
^Latin America Begins Debate on Sexual Harassment
^By ANDREW SELSKY
^Associated Press Writer
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) _ Secretary Clara Ines recalls well the day she was fired for "incompetence."
Summoned to her boss's office in a large Bogota company, she abruptly found herself under sexual attack. "He pushed me against the wall and began unfastening my belt," she said. "I told him, 'Let me go,' punched him and shoved him away."
Clara Ines had no recourse when she was dismissed. But for her and other South American women that situation is slowly beginning to change, as countries where "machismo" long has reigned unquestioned make their first, tentative efforts to discourage sexual harassment.
Argentina recently outlawed sexual harassment in government offices. Several other countries are considering action.
In Colombia, a scandal last fall involving a senior government official put the issue in the spotlight, much as the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill case did in the United States.
A regional director of the Institute for Youth and Sports publicly accused the head of the agency, Miguel Bermudez, of threatening to fire her if she did not have sex with him.
Bermudez denied it and told reporters he had no sexual interest in the woman, Maria del Pilar Florez. She was 35, he said, and at that age "a woman does not inspire such thoughts."
President Cesar Gaviria reprimanded Bermudez for "offending the women of Colombia" with the insult. Bermudez resigned Nov. 11, citing the scandal and accusations of budget irregularities.
Discussion of the Bermudez case has publicized the indignities Colombian women often suffer, but many people find the subject embarrassing, particularly victims. Clara Ines is still so ashamed of her experience she discussed it on condition she be identified only by her Christian name.
Women's liberation is a vague concept in Colombia, where women could not vote until 1957.
A bill now in the congress would make sexual harassment on the job a crime punishable by up to a year in prison, and would prohibit the firing of an employee for resisting sexual advances.
Sentiment appears to be growing among Colombians for some action against what the newspaper El Espectador denounced as the "sordid blackmail" of women workers.
"It's as if we were property," said Rep. Yolima Espinosa, a sponsor of the anti-harassment bill. "The Bermudez case made people sensitive to the problem of sexual harassment and made them realize there's no penalty for it." It also made Colombian women realize that sexual harassment "is not normal behavior, but is an abuse," said Melba Arias Londono, a lawyer who wrote a book on violence against women.
Other countries also are dealing with the issue:
-Argentina enacted a law Nov. 18 that forbids sexual harassment in government offices, but says nothing of private businesses.
-Peru has a law against sexual harassment, but seldom enforces it. In several pending cases, women are suing Health Ministry officials, alleging they were fired for rejecting sexual advances.
-A bill in the Chilean congress would outlaw sexual harassment, and several judges in Bolivia have urged action there.
Even without laws, not all men escape punishment.
For weeks, Ingrid's boss touched and patted her and told her dirty jokes. Then one day when Ingrid, a newspaper photographer, was in the photo lab, he came up behind her and "grabbed me with his pants already down. I slapped him and screamed and ran out."
The paper's editor, a woman, fired the man after Ingrid and other employees complained about his conduct.
"My case is extremely rare, because if there's a complaint it's usually the victim who's fired," Ingrid said.
Mrs. Espinosa said the habits of centuries must be broken before real change can be achieved.
"Some women are subservient to men, and by acting that way they are reinforcing the attitude of men who feel superior," she said. "Women as well as men will have to change their behavior."
^Latin America Begins Debate on Sexual Harassment
^By ANDREW SELSKY
^Associated Press Writer
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) _ Secretary Clara Ines recalls well the day she was fired for "incompetence."
Summoned to her boss's office in a large Bogota company, she abruptly found herself under sexual attack. "He pushed me against the wall and began unfastening my belt," she said. "I told him, 'Let me go,' punched him and shoved him away."
Clara Ines had no recourse when she was dismissed. But for her and other South American women that situation is slowly beginning to change, as countries where "machismo" long has reigned unquestioned make their first, tentative efforts to discourage sexual harassment.
Argentina recently outlawed sexual harassment in government offices. Several other countries are considering action.
In Colombia, a scandal last fall involving a senior government official put the issue in the spotlight, much as the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill case did in the United States.
A regional director of the Institute for Youth and Sports publicly accused the head of the agency, Miguel Bermudez, of threatening to fire her if she did not have sex with him.
Bermudez denied it and told reporters he had no sexual interest in the woman, Maria del Pilar Florez. She was 35, he said, and at that age "a woman does not inspire such thoughts."
President Cesar Gaviria reprimanded Bermudez for "offending the women of Colombia" with the insult. Bermudez resigned Nov. 11, citing the scandal and accusations of budget irregularities.
Discussion of the Bermudez case has publicized the indignities Colombian women often suffer, but many people find the subject embarrassing, particularly victims. Clara Ines is still so ashamed of her experience she discussed it on condition she be identified only by her Christian name.
Women's liberation is a vague concept in Colombia, where women could not vote until 1957.
A bill now in the congress would make sexual harassment on the job a crime punishable by up to a year in prison, and would prohibit the firing of an employee for resisting sexual advances.
Sentiment appears to be growing among Colombians for some action against what the newspaper El Espectador denounced as the "sordid blackmail" of women workers.
"It's as if we were property," said Rep. Yolima Espinosa, a sponsor of the anti-harassment bill. "The Bermudez case made people sensitive to the problem of sexual harassment and made them realize there's no penalty for it." It also made Colombian women realize that sexual harassment "is not normal behavior, but is an abuse," said Melba Arias Londono, a lawyer who wrote a book on violence against women.
Other countries also are dealing with the issue:
-Argentina enacted a law Nov. 18 that forbids sexual harassment in government offices, but says nothing of private businesses.
-Peru has a law against sexual harassment, but seldom enforces it. In several pending cases, women are suing Health Ministry officials, alleging they were fired for rejecting sexual advances.
-A bill in the Chilean congress would outlaw sexual harassment, and several judges in Bolivia have urged action there.
Even without laws, not all men escape punishment.
For weeks, Ingrid's boss touched and patted her and told her dirty jokes. Then one day when Ingrid, a newspaper photographer, was in the photo lab, he came up behind her and "grabbed me with his pants already down. I slapped him and screamed and ran out."
The paper's editor, a woman, fired the man after Ingrid and other employees complained about his conduct.
"My case is extremely rare, because if there's a complaint it's usually the victim who's fired," Ingrid said.
Mrs. Espinosa said the habits of centuries must be broken before real change can be achieved.
"Some women are subservient to men, and by acting that way they are reinforcing the attitude of men who feel superior," she said. "Women as well as men will have to change their behavior."
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