Recently, there was a sad and disturbing incident of harassment and intimidation of a woman who committed suicide. The event had major repercussions on society and the Government must not be unaware of having subsidized the company of the person who committed suicide. First of all, it is important to stress that in Macao, all civil servants and private sector workers have the right to work without being victims of harassment and intimidation. Unfortunately, many do not enjoy this basic freedom due to the lack of codes of ethical conduct and special mechanisms for this type of complaint. There is no efficient and credible support system for potential victims of harassment, such as specialized centers dedicated to counseling, hotlines and formal acceptance of complaints of harassment and intimidation in the workplace.
All employers, including public authorities, have a duty to ensure that all forms of harassment and intimidation are eradicated. It is also up to the representative associations and the workers themselves to be attentive and to denounce this problem so that in the Macao SAR this uncontrollable plague that causes deep scars is stopped.
Just this week, our Citizens’ Assistance Office received two complaints of harassment and intimidation that had harmful effects on victims and their families. Victims are stressed and lacking motivation to socialize. They begin to perform unsatisfactorily at work, despite our constant and permanent follow-up. Victims complained of inappropriate verbal and physical conduct, creating discomfort, humiliation, embarrassment or discomfort. Official entities do not accept this type of complaint and are not willing to investigate in depth and, therefore, victims feel abandoned and without solutions.
We found that most of the time, they are subject to various types of harassment and intimidation, namely circulation of offensive or suggestive material, insinuations, mockery, obscenities, jokes or sexist remarks. It is also noted with some regularity the use of offensive language in the description of someone with a certain disability or having fun at their expense, comments on the physical appearance or character of a person susceptible to cause embarrassment or distress. Unwanted attention, such as spying, stalking, pestering, overly familiar behavior, or unpleasant physical or verbal attention, including sexually suggestive and hostile phone calls or text messages, also appears with some regularity.
We also receive complaints from victims subjected to unreasonable, intrusive or persistent questions about marital status, personal life, interests or sexual orientation, unpleasant sexual teasing, repeated requests for dates, threats, as well as suggestions for sexual favors to accelerate career progression or that the refusal could affect it.
Recent examples of complaints of intimidation and abuse of seniority in a local higher education institution include threats or verbal or physical abuse, such as yelling at or insulting other teachers or colleagues, whether in public or private. At work meetings and in front of many people, they make personal insults, demean or ridicule the victim and his abilities without anyone daring to file a complaint for fear of losing his job. These bullies even have sudden outbursts of anger or outbursts of bad temper, often for trivial reasons. They subject victims to excessive or oppressive supervision and personally control everything they do, becoming overly critical about small things and unjustifiably. At other times, they make unreasonable demands, imposing menial or demeaning tasks that are out of step with the work to be done. They even take away areas of responsibility from a worker without reason. They often ignore the worker or exclude him, for example, from social events or work meetings, claiming that he does not master the official languages.
Therefore, both public entities and private companies must have a policy that supports the right of workers to be treated with dignity and respect. This policy must actively promote a work environment where bullying and harassment are not tolerated. Standards of behavior expected from employees and managers must be clearly stated. Everyone needs to know who to turn to if they have a problem that is intimidating or vexing in nature. To be effective, this policy must be communicated and implemented so that everyone is aware of their responsibilities under the code of conduct applicable to all without exception.
Finally, both the public and private sectors must ensure that all complainants are not disadvantaged, victimized or discriminated against for filing a complaint of harassment or intimidation. Complaints must be investigated and ensured that there are no repercussions on your employment.
*Association of Civil Service Workers of Macao (ATFPM)
