Tackle chamber perils for women MPs

It is only natural to expect that your work environment is a safe space.

You don’t anticipate any hazards likely to cause injury or death.

But work environments are not static; elements that were once recognised as safe become a risk waiting to happen if no measures are taken.

One place with existing unaddressed hazards is our National Assembly.

For the umpteenth time, a woman’s safety was threatened with violence. Kilimani MP Didmus Barasa threatened to punch Homa Bay Woman Representative Gladys Wanga, causing a deserved uproar from Ms Wanga’s peers, who included Esther Passaris.

What happened next made it apparent every single female MP and woman representative places her life at physical risk every day she sits in Parliament.

Mr Barasa demanded protection from House Speaker Justin Muturi, which he was assured of, while Ms Passaris was reprimanded and told not to make this personal.

BREEDING VIOLENCE
Let us think about this for a minute. It is ridiculous the casualness with which violence is meted against women leaders.

The other day, Wajir East MP Rashid Kassim allegedly punched Wajir Woman Representative Fatuma Gedi.

Male MPs have proven to be a danger to their female colleagues, yet the Speaker protects the perpetrator.

Is it any wonder that an Eastmatt supervisor assaulted his female colleague while she was working?

The Employment Act 2007 does not explicitly refer to threats of violence or assault as harassment. That said, these are criminal acts.

It doesn’t matter whether the incident was a one-off or a systematic pattern of behaviour. It still constitutes violence or harassment.

Dismissing this kind of behaviour as ‘personal’ creates work environments that breed violence, affecting both the employees and the workplace.

RESPONSIBILITY

It also cannot be the employees’ responsibility to identify the individuals who pose a risk at work, as Esther Passaris did, and take measures to protect themselves. This is the employer’s responsibility.

To end violence at work, Parliament needs to model itself by doing a better job of addressing the violence within that is now becoming entrenched in our workplaces.

Parliament, stop being an ostrich, burying your head in the sand, take measures to ensure that so far as is it reasonably practical, the safety of female members is guaranteed.

Where individuals are identified as a risk to their colleagues, prevent and control the risk of violence against women.

If it means sending all male MPs for sensitivity training and repeat offenders for repeat training, do it.

Prevent this violence before someone gets seriously injured or worse, while on your watch.

This year has seen a major trend of escalating violence in the country.

Let us pay closer attention to the type of violence and the places where they are occurring if we are going to manage it before it manages us.
The writer is a legal officer for an international airline; [email protected]