On February 20th, 2020, CGDS Director Dr. Choman Hardi and CGDS EU M&E Advisor Mr. Rasti Ranj facilitated the Sexual Harassment Training workshop at Ashur Brick Company. As part of our EU grant, the workshop was delivered to a number of workers and administrative staff employed by the brick factory. The participants were from different backgrounds, nationalities, and religions. The main agenda for the training was to promote an understanding of the concepts, vocabulary, and kinds of sexual harassment in the workplace. Concepts such as power, violence, informed consent, gender, gender-based violence, conflict-related sexual violence, and sexual harassment were explained.
The training focused on the attitudes and environments that allow sexual harassment and sexual assault to happen, and the importance of policies, feedback mechanisms, and training to prevent and penalize offenders in the workplace. The idea of consent, the role of community, and the responsibility of bystanders to report such incidents was stressed to ensure the safety and positivity of the work environment. Following the training, a comprehensive discussion occurred with and among the participants to understand their points of view and to ensure that their perspectives will be applied to future trainings.