Sexual harassment on the rise in Algeria

Figures released by the security forces and Women Workers Rights Council reveal that 3000 complaints pertaining to sexual harassment at work were lodged over the period between 2009- 2011.

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• Meanwhile, the new draft law due out next May contains coercive measures against sexual harassment at work that could lead to dismissal.

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• Security forces have treated 280 cases over the last six months, while 744 cases were registered by Women Workers Rights Council over the same period. Most of the cases were recorded in the major cities like Algiers, Annaba and Oran.

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• The lawyer Fatima Ben Braham has indicated that the number doesn’t reflect reality because the great majority of women avoid confrontations in the courts because the phenomenon remains a taboo in the Algerian society.

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• She has further noted that, unfortunately, the defendant is, most of the time, acquitted because of the lack of evidence, or the reluctance of the victim’s colleagues to testify before the judge for fear to lose their jobs.

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