UN Women continues to work on sexual harassment in the civil service
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Preventing and addressing sexual harassment in the workplace is essential to creating a safe, respectful and equal environment - one that enables women’s full participation and potential. Sexual harassment remains a widespread and underreported challenge in Georgia’s civil service. According to the study “Workplace Sexual Harassment in the Civil Service in Georgia”, 34 per cent of civil servants have experienced some form of sexual harassment in the public sector. In response, UN Women continues to assist state institutions in strengthening and operationalizing mechanisms to prevent and respond to such violations.
On 18–19 October, UN Women organized a two-day training for 18 employees of the Academy of the Ministry of Finance, the Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency, the State Audit Office and the Insurance State Supervision Service. The training aimed to enhance participants’ understanding of the forms, causes and consequences of sexual harassment, challenge common myths and stereotypes, and introduce survivor-centred approaches to investigating and responding to complaints. Participants also discussed ways to ensure effective institutional responses and support individuals who have experienced sexual harassment.
Reflecting on the training, Salome Kavtaradze, Head of the Legal Department at the Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency, noted: “Sexual harassment is still a taboo. I believe that this taboo can be eliminated through the widest possible dissemination of information. The training increased my awareness of existing practices and mechanisms, which was both interesting and essential for my work. Of particular value was the discussion of the problems and challenges faced by those who have experienced sexual harassment.”
Many of the institutions represented in the training have recently finalized or already introduced internal mechanisms for preventing and responding to sexual harassment - an important and effective tool for ensuring a safe workplace. Developed with UN Women support, these mechanisms clearly outline procedures for reporting and investigating incidents, safeguarding the rights and confidentiality of survivors, and applying proportionate sanctions when violations occur.
The introduction of such mechanisms contributes to raising awareness, promoting a non-discriminatory environment, fostering a harassment-free and healthy workplace, and better protecting the rights of employees. With UN Women’s support, 26 public institutions in Georgia have already approved internal mechanisms on sexual harassment, and more than 1,000 civil servants have been trained on related issues.
These activities were carried out with the generous support of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), within the framework of the UN Women projects “Good Governance for Gender Equality in Georgia” and “Women’s Increased Leadership for Democracy in Georgia.”