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Corporate houses ask law firms to advise them on how to handle harassment allegations. But what about the harassment going on in law firms? A new study has shocking results.
According to a recent survey by The International Bar Association, one in three female attorneys has been sexually harassed at work. Half of them have been bullied as well. This survey shows the need for #MeToo in law firms as well.
This survey was conducted online among 6,980 attorneys from 135 countries. It shows a mirror as to how sexual harassment is a pretty common thing in the law industry.
The report discovered that sexist and sexual comments, sexual propositions, inappropriate touching and demands for sexual favours in return for work were “significantly more prevalent in barristers’ chambers”.
The fact remains that the entire workplace in most legal bodies is male-dominated. Also, the hierarchical power structure could be a reason for sexual harassment being pretty common.
The thought of one’s career being ruined by the ‘bosses’ could be a reason for blackmailing female staff according to the report. It can be seen that the reasons for harassment are no different in law firms than in any other corporate firm. The fact that lawyers who are meant to be fully conversant with the law, are themselves such rampant offenders, is deeply disturbing.
This survey has raised a very important question as to how much we can trust the legal system. How can sexual predators be trusted to provide justice?
The #MeToo movement which gained steam in Hollywood soon took the world by storm. We saw highly ‘reputed’ men across industries facing charges of sexual harassment. Since then, law firms have been approached by many firms to help place workplaces safer for women.
This particular report has raised many questions on the operation of the entire legal sector. Barristers and lawyers who are expected to provide justice to sexual harassment victims are on themselves molesters in their workplaces! There is an urgent need for the legal fraternity across countries to reflect and correct the internal rot first.
I read, I write, I dream and search for the silver lining in my life. Being a student of mass communication with literature and political science I love writing about things that bother me. Follow read more...
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Some time ago, Imtiaz Ali and Hansal Mehta respectively spoke of biopics of Madhubala and Meena Kumari. But do these biopics do justice to these women?
I recently came across a Reddit thread that discussed the fact that filmmaker Imtiaz Ali had announced making a biopic of Madhubala, and I wanted to explore this a little.
Of late, biopics based on the lives of beautiful but fatefully tragic women such as Lady Diana and Marilyn Monroe have created waves. Closer at home, we hear about the possibilities of biopics being made on the lives of Meena Kumari and Madhubala as well. These were hugely famous, stunningly beautiful women who were the heartthrobs of millions; who died tragically young.
I am glad that the Orange Flower Awards seek self-nomination. High achieving women often suffer from self-doubt, and this is a good way to remind us that we are good enough.
A few days ago, I saw an Instagram post announcing the Orange Flower Awards which recognise the power of women’s voices. I read about it with curiosity, but didn’t give it a second thought.
I received an e mail from Women’s Web seeking self-nominations for the Orange Flower Awards, and I ignored it. Yes, I write occasionally, but I didn’t think my work was good enough for me to nominate myself in any of the categories.
A past winner especially tagged me and asked me to look at nominating myself, and I told her that I was not ready yet. “That is up to you”, she said, “but I think you should nominate yourself.”
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