By Apsara Rodrigo
COLOMBO – Sri Lanka’s state-owned Independent Television Network (ITN) is in the process of “selecting an external inquiring officer” in its probe over resigned news anchor’s allegation of being sexually harassed by a senior official, the Network’s chairmen said.
Ishara Dewendra, a senior ITN news presenter, resigned last week over alleged sexual harassment in the workplace.
“Despite informing the authorities about the harassment I faced, no action was taken,” Dewendra wrote on Friday (21) in her personal Facebook post in the Sinhala language.
Sexual harassment remains a crime under section Sri Lanka’s Penal Code and is punishable by rigorous imprisonment for up to five years. However, media rights groups say women media workers are frequently subjected to sexual harassment for various reasons including promotions.
But most of them do not complain or report it because of social stigma, given Sri Lankan society’s ignorance on such complaints and inaction or being dragged by law implementing agencies.
The general society’s attitude of blaming women for such complaints also prevents them from lodging complaints against men.
“I have instructed the General Manager of the ITN to immediately start an inquiry according to the accepted practices of the ITN on the alleged sexual harassment case of a former employee at the News and Current Affairs Division Ms. Ishara Devendra,” Sudarshana Gunawardena, the ITN chairman, tweeted on Monday (24), adding, “(The) Management is in the process of selecting an external inquiring officer.”
Sri Lanka has rarely seen sexual harassment allegations coming into the public domain.
“Sexual harassment has become a severe concern currently,” said Arosh Martin, a researcher and youth activist, noting that the utility of the enacted law was absent in most scenarios and that there is a need to enact specific laws
and take legal and other actions in eliminating sexual harassment.
The high prevalence of sexual harassment against women and the emergence of evidence against Hollywood bigwig Harvey Weinstein gave rise to the #MeToo movement.
-economynext.com
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