Human Rights Day: A Global Wake-Up Call for Workplace Harassment Awareness

Dec 15, 2023

International Human Rights Day this December provides a pivotal moment for companies to address a critical global issue: sexual harassment in the workplace.

workplace sexual harassment

A Snapshot of Sexual Harassment’s Impact on Diverse Populations

How prevalent is sexual harassment in the workplace, and for whom?

Fourteen percent of men versus over one in three women have reported a workplace incident of sexual harassment.

Men, however, are reportedly less likely to report workplace sexual harassment incidents than women are.

Additionally, one in two people who identify as transgender or another gender identity report experiencing sexual harassment at work.

The Global Patchwork of Differing Laws

Addressing sexual harassment in the workplace is complex. This is because variation in sexual harassment laws across the globe is significant. One-size-fits-all is not the name of the game. In some nations, legal provisions are either vague or non-existent, leaving employees vulnerable and businesses unsure of the best course of action.

Other countries have robust legal frameworks, like Sweden’s ten-year strategy into 2025 to address men’s violence against women. But others—such as India’s ten-year-old PoSH Act, designed to protect women from sexual harassment at work, still face ongoing implementation challenges that are actively being addressed to ensure compliance and promote a more positive workplace culture.

An Urgent Call for More Comprehensive Training

In this context, understanding sexual harassment training needs for your organization’s region or regions is critical. It’s not just about legal compliance; it’s about building a workplace culture that values every individual’s dignity and rights.

By educating employees and management about the legal landscape in their specific region, we empower them to act knowledgeably and respectfully, ensuring both compliance and cultural sensitivity.

How SAI360 Can Help

SAI360’s Ethics and Compliance Learning Catalog provides a comprehensive overview of how to address human rights in your organization each and every day. Our training resources are designed to meet diverse international standards, as well.

Here are just a few of many offerings:

Cultivating a Harassment-Free Global Workplace: This foundational module in a three-year training cycle highlights the importance of an ongoing commitment to creating respectful workplaces.
Dignity and Respect in the Global Workplace: Covering sexual harassment, discrimination, and anti-LGBTQ issues, this suite offers insights into maintaining dignity and respect across global offices.
Out and About—It’s Still Sexual Harassment: Educating on recognizing and addressing sexual harassment outside traditional work settings, this course emphasizes the importance of awareness in all situations.
Preventing Global Modern Slavery: Help learners be aware of risks and know how to respond effectively to them, as needed.
Speak Up—Raising Concerns at Work: This encourages workers to communicate if they see something is not right and learn how to submit a report.

A Call to Action

This International Human Rights Day let’s commit to more than just compliance. Let’s strive for workplaces that are not only safe but also more nurturing and inclusive.

Understanding and implementing effective sexual harassment training is both a best practice and a fundamental human rights issue.

Key takeaway: Education is key to raising awareness, developing better prevention measures, empowering people to speak up when they observe something that makes them uncomfortable, and building a more supportive workplace culture for all.