When was the last time you came across news about men harassing women? Two or three days ago? I can bet it wasn't more than a week ago! Ironically, cases of women harassing women in the workplace, remain invisible from the society's eyes and the Kingdom is no different. For instance, Sania*, a 22-year-old school-teacher, “tried to elope with her school driver” according to an accusation her former boss (the headmistress of a school) leveled on her. Speaking to Saudi Gazette, Sania remarked that she had never done anything to upset her boss or force her into making such a false accusation. “I had limited, but friendly, interaction with her as I was in the habit of staying my classroom so I feel speechless when people ask me what I did to her to warrant such treatment,” she said. With tears rolling down her face, Sania recounted how her former boss went as far as producing the photocopy of a fake marriage certificate claiming that Sania had married her driver, for the sole purpose of defaming her before her parents and colleagues. With her reputation out into such jeopardy, Sania left her job after this incident. Another victim of harassment by a fellow woman, 24-year-old Afreen, told Saudi Gazette that she used to work in a woman-only office where her unmarried boss had a habit of becoming increasingly aggressive with women who were either married or betrothed. “She used to get abusive with such women and would try to make issues out of no issues until the women would either to decide to leave their jobs or continue suffering the harassment silently,” Afreen stated. She claims that she left her job the day her boss ordered her to do something and then went back on her words and humiliated her for no reason in front of the office. “I wouldn't have left my job if she hadn't abused my family and cursed me for something I hadn't deserved. She just indulged in character assassination!” she lamented. Yet another such case is of Emaan, a 23-year-old woman who works at a mixed workplace, and claims that the harassment came as a surprise to her as women are generally considered much more trustworthy than men. “I paid (the price) for my blind trust in women because I thought that a woman would never harm another woman. I remained dumb, deaf and blind to what she (a colleague) was saying and doing until the day I blatantly saw how she was fooling me and guiding me out of the office. Later, I realized that she was slandering my name amongst our colleagues and even posted a false advertisement on the Internet with my name and contact details on it,” said Emaan. “I was safe amongst men from different backgrounds but not safe with a woman who I considered my sister.” The victims also claim, unanimously, that many other young women come to them with stories of brutal harassment by women at work. “The difference is that these stories are not heard a lot; rules and laws are designed to protect women from men but we hardly think about this side of harassment where women go over the edge in committing such crimes,” remarked Afreen. A study conducted in the US recently, suggests that only five to 15 percent women of female employees report harassment from another woman to their employers of the relevant agencies. Indeed, women are usually reluctant to complain about harassment due to the fear of losing their job, the lack of faith in justice being done and embarrassment at being harassed. The researchers revealed that harassment has a negative impact on a woman's physical and emotional health. The more severe the harassment, the stronger the reaction. This reaction may include anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, weight loss or gain, loss of appetite, and headaches. Saudi Gazette spoke to Anila Paracha - a female boss who has around 20 women working under her - about the reasons why women harass other women in the workplace. She said that insecurity and jealousy are the driving force behind such harassment “though there can be more to it too, like psychological disorders in severe cases,” she explained. “Some women want to be the apple of everyone's eye and can't accept the existence of other women around them. In some cases, women can't keep their personal and professional lives separate. If they lack a peaceful and healthy personal life then they disturb the office atmosphere. Usually, unprofessional women hold grudges and try to take revenge for them sooner or later even if the problems they have with someone are small.” She added that because a relatively small number of women in our society pursue careers, those who do so have a higher sense of achievement and they take pride in their self, something which often blinds their conscience. Harassment then becomes an issue of preserving their ego. Afreen claims that female harassers normally victimize younger and relatively less active women at the workplace in order to retain their “hold” on them. Paracha agrees and stresses that young, unmarried women are victimized more because they are considered vulnerable and open to reaction. “Girls are sensitive to their social reputation which makes them want to conceal the harassment they face, fearing the consequences that might affect their future. Thus, harassers are encouraged and the cycle continues. Support from the family, particularly parental support, is a must in such situations and harassers should not be left unchecked,” she added. Dr. Khalid Bahaziq, the in-charge of the International Muslim Organization for Women and Family and director of the Rapport Center, mentioned another thought-provoking point. He indicated that a troubled childhood is also a major reason for making women aggressive and causing them to harass other women. “As a child, some of these women who harass other women may have been molested by their male relatives, which affects them adversely and make them behave in certain way when they grow up,” he said. He said that he has received many cases from universities where girls claim that they have been harassed by another girl. “Girls name them ‘Boya' in Arabic which means ‘boy-like'. Sometimes a girl grows up as the only daughter and is brought up with her brothers. This gives her a dominating and aggressive nature.” Paracha stressed that this is a serious matter which should not be ignored. She advised that one must take help of legal action if necessary. Laws should be stipulated for such crimes. “On other note,” she said, “women should learn to be good professionals. Potential victims must not reveal any personal details to anyone, must not trust anyone blindly and keep their professional relationships formal and straightforward. Female bosses should be open in their heart and mind and must treat their juniors kindly, neglecting their insecurities. Lastly, both parties must keep their personal and professional lives separate.” - SG Note: Names of victims have been changed for security reasons. __
