Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
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...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Being a writer, Nivedita Louis recognises the struggles of a first-time woman writer and helps many articulate their voice with development, content edits as a publisher.
“I usually write during night”, says author Nivedita Louis during our conversation. Chuckling she continues,” It’s easier then to focus solely on writing. Nivedita Louis is a writer, with varied interests and one of the founders of Her Stories, a feminist publishing house, based in Chennai.
In a candid conversation she shared her journey from small-town Tamil Nadu to becoming a history buff, an award-winning author and now a publisher.
Nivedita was born and raised in a small town in Tamil Nadu. It was for schooling that she first arrived in Chennai. Then known as Madras, she recalls being awed by the city. Her love-story with the city, its people and thus began which continues till date. She credits her perseverance and passion to make a difference to her days as a vocational student among the elite sections of Madras.
Please enter your email address