Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Sexual harassment is an old problem for the women who are its victims but is relatively new
as a social issue. Studies carried out in South Africa and internationally indicate that sexual
harassment is a problem in virtually every organisation and that a substantial proportion of
working women are the recipients of unwanted sexual attention in the workplace.
A number of misconceptions, myths as well as stereotyping regarding sexual harassment in
the workplace have added to the frustration female employees experience in trying to have
their sexual harassment complaints recognised. Like many organisations, the South African
Police Service (SAPS) knows the problem exists, but is unaware of its full extent or the
destructive effects it has on employees and the workplace.
As sexual harassment usually occurs in private, the women in the SAPS who are being
harassed usually do not know how to react or how to handle the harassing situation and
conseq uently suffer in silence. Most female employees despair of having the traditionally
male dominated management component in the SAPS understand how much sexual
harassment humiliates and frustrates them. They also despair of having the support of
managers in addressing the problem of sexual harassment in the workplace.
Even though the SAPS has a sexual harassment policy, the problem of sexual harassment
continues to occur in the workplace. The only protection for the organisation and its
employees, is prevention, or lacking that, immediate and appropriate action, following
notification of a sexual harassment complaint. Prevention is only likely when the sexual
harassment policy has been well communicated to all parties and enforced consistently and
fairly. Inher capacity as a social worker in the SAPS, the researcher became aware that even
though managers and employees are aware that this type of misconduct occurs, they avoid
addressing this sensitive issue because of a lack of proper guidelines.
Therefore, the aim of the study was to present guidelines for the composition of a training
programme for the implementation of the existing policy document regarding the handling
of sexual harassment in the SAPS. The purpose was to ensure that intervention and
prevention of sexual harassment in the SAPS will be handled more effectively. Existing
literature on the subject of sexual harassment was studied and presented in a theoretical
framework.
The history, legislation and dimensions of sexual harassment in the workplace i.e.
internationally as well as in South Africa and the SAPS, were discussed. The development
and consequences of sexual harassment for the organisation and all employees concerned were
emphasized. Preventative measures and implementation guidelines for addressing sexual
harassment in the SAPS, were explored. The prevalence of sexual harassment in the workplace and the subsequent experience(s) of and effects on female employees regarding
such harassment (in the SAPS) is brought into focus.
Exploratory - descriptive research was done with the aid of a questionnaire as an instrument
for data-collection, at police stations in one area of the West Metropole in the SAPS (Western
Cape) where social workers are rendering services. The opinions and attitudes of female
employees with regard to their experience(s) or knowledge of the occurrence and the handling
of sexual harassment in the SAPS, were determined. Information obtained from the
questionnaire is presented in six categories, namely : demographic characteristics of
respondents, behaviour of male employees toward female employees, the person(s)
responsible for the sexual harassment incident, reactions to the sexual harassment incident,
effects of sexual harassment experience(s) on women as well as on the workplace and the
addressing of sexual harassment in the workplace.
Conclusions and recommendations are made regarding the opinions, knowledge and sexual
harassment experiences of female employees in the SAPS as well as how sexual harassment
should be handled by various parties such as managers and social workers employed by the
SAPS. The implementation of a sexual harassment training programme can be of great value
to the South African Police Service and all its employees, provided the staff at management
level, professional personnel (social workers, psychologists and personnel practitioners) and
all other levels of employees commit themselves to working together on addressing and
preventing sexual harassment in the workplace. Regular evaluations should be done by the
social worker after the sexual harassment training programme has been implemented, in order
to determine the effectiveness of the prevention training programme for addressing sexual
harassment in the SAPS. Social workers in the SAPS should endeavour to clarify the extent
of the problem of sexual harassment and should bring the seriousness of the problem to the
attention of managers and all other employees. Social workers therefore have a crucial role
in assisting with the implementation of the organisation's sexual harassment policy and in
doing further research regarding sexual harassment in the workplace. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Seksuele teistering is 'n ou probleem vir die vroue wie die slagoffers daarvan is, maar dit is
relatief nuut as 'n sosiale kwessie. Studies wat in Suid-Afrika en internasionaal uitgevoer is,
dui aan dat seksuele teistering 'n probleem in feitlik elke organisasie is en dat 'n aansienlike
getal werkende vroue ongewensde seksuele aandag in die werkplek ervaar.
Die bestaande wanopvattings, mites sowel as stereotiperings wat in die werkplek voorkom
rakende seksuele teistering, dra by tot die frustrasie wat vroulike werknemers ervaar in hul
poging om die bestuur hul klagtes oor seksuele teistering te laat insien. Soos baie organisasies,
is die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens (SAPD) bewus dat die probleem voorkom, maar onbewus
van die omvang daarvan of die skadelike gevolge wat dit inhou vir werknemers en die
werkplek.
Aangesien seksuele teistering gewoonlik plaasvind in privaatheid, weet die vroue in die SAPD
wat geteister word gewoonlik nie hoe om te reageer of hoe om die teisterende situasie te
hanteer nie. Gevolglik ly hulle in stilte. Baie vroulike werknemers is in vertwyfeling oor hoe
om die bestuurskomponent in die SAPD, wie tradisioneel oorheers word deur mans, te laat
besef hoe vernederend en frustrerend seksuele teistering vir hulle is. Hulle is ook desperaat
om die ondersteuning van bestuurders te kry ten einde die probleem van seksuele teistering
in die werkplek aan te spreek.
Alhoewel die SAPD oor 'n beleidsdokument vir seksuele teistering beskik, kom die probleem
van seksuele teistering steeds voor in die werkplek. Die enigste beskerming vir die
organisasie en die werknemers, is voorkoming of indien dit ontbreek, onmiddellike en gepaste
optrede nadat 'n klagte van seksuele teistering aangemeld word. Voorkoming kan slegs
geskied indien die beleid ten opsigte van seksuele teistering, goed bekend gemaak word aan
alle partye en dit konsekwent en regverdig toegepas word. Die navorser het in haar kapasiteit
as maatskaplike werker in die SAPD bevind dat alhoewel bestuurders en werknemers bewus
is dat hierdie tipe misdryf voorkom, hulle die hantering van die sensitiewe probleem ontwyk
as gevolg van 'n gebrek aan behoorlike riglyne.
Die doel van die studie was gevolglik om riglyne daar te stel vir die samestelling van 'n
opleidingsprogram vir die implementering van die bestaande beleidsdokument vir die
hantering van seksuele teistering in die SAPD. Die doel was om te verseker dat intervensie
en voorkoming van seksuele teistering meer effektief hanteer sal word in die SAPD.
Bestaande literatuur ten opsigte van die onderwerp van seksuele teistering is bestudeer en
aangebied in 'n teoretiese raamwerk. Die geskiedenis, wetgewing en omvang van seksuele teistering op internasionale vlak, sowel
as in Suid-Afrika en die SAPD is bespreek. Die ontwikkeling en gevolge van seksuele
teistering vir die organisasie en al die betrokke werknemers is beklemtoon.
Voorkomingsmaatreëls en riglyne vir die implimentering van die bestaande beleidsdokument
oor seksuele teistering in die SAPD is verken. Die voorkoms van seksuele teistering in die
werkplek en die gevolglike ervaring(s) en effek daarvan op vroulike werknemers in die SAPD
is in fokus gebring.
'n Verkennende-beskrywende studie is gedoen met behulp van 'n vraelys, as instrument vir
data-versameling, by polisiestasies in een area van die Wes-Metropool in die SAPD (Wes-
Kaap) waar maatskaplike werkers dienste lewer. Die opinies en houdings van vroulike
werknemers met betrekking tot hul ervaring(s) of kennis is bepaal ten opsigte van die
verskynsel en die hantering van seksuele teistering in die SAPD. Inligting verkry vanaf die
vraelys, is aangebied in ses kategorieë naamlik: demografiese kenmerke van respondente,
gedrag van manlike werknemers teenoor vroulike werknemers, die persoon verantwoordelik
vir die seksuele teisterende insident, reaksies ten opsigte van die seksuele teisterende insident,
effekte wat die seksuele teistering ervaring(s) vir die vroue en die werkplek inhou asook die
aanspreek van seksuele teistering in die werkplek.
Gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings is gemaak rakende die opinies, kenmerke en ervarings van
vroulike werknemers ten opsigte van seksuele teistering in die SAPD, asook ten opsigte van
die hantering van seksuele teistering deur die verskeie partye soos, byvoorbeeld bestuurders
en maatskaplike werkers in diens van die SAPD. Die implementering van 'n
opleidingsprogram ten opsigte van seksuele teistering kan waardevol wees vir die Suid-
Afrikaanse Polisiediens en al die werknemers mits die bestuurders, professionele personeel
(maatskaplike werkers, sielkundiges en menslike hulpbronbestuur) hulself verbind tot
samewerking ten opsigte van die aanspreek en voorkoming van seksuele teistering in die
werkplek. Gereelde evaluerings deur die maatskaplike werker moet gedoen word na die
implementering van die seksuele teistering opleidingsprogram, ten einde die effektiwiteit van
die voorkomingsprogram te bepaal vir die aanspreek van seksuele teistering in die SAPD.
Maatskaplike werkers in die SAPD moet hulself beywer om duidelikheid te verkry oor die
omvang van die probleem van seksuele teistering en moet die erns van die probleem onder
die aandag bring van bestuurders en alle ander werknemers. Maatskaplike werkers het dus
'n beslissende ondersteuningsrol om te vervul ten opsigte van die implimentering van die
organisasie se beleid vir seksuele teistering, asook om verdere navorsing ten opsigte van
seksuele teistering in die werkplek aan te moedig.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/51782 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Retief, Rita Theresa |
| Contributors | Green, S., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences . Dept. of Social Work. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 133 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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