The normalization of behavior is the main obstacle to combating these crimes. #MeToo has begun to open spaces for discussion in the workplace.

In recent weeks, #MeTooMx has broken into offices, newspaper editorial offices, recording studios and artists' workshops. Actors, directors, publicists, musicians, journalists, photographers or academics opened their Twitter accounts and found complaints against them, made by their co-workers.

The movement took a while to reach this country. It began in the United States, in 2006, with activist Tarana Burke, then gained momentum in 2017, with the accusations against film director Harvey Weinsten. But once installed, one of the debates that has opened is about normalized behaviors in the workplace.

From March 21 to April 4, 4,867 complaints of harassment, abuse and sexual harassment were received. Among them, 329 were directed against journalists from 74 media outlets.

Sexual harassment at work is very common, says Dolores Blancas, founder of the organization Casa Gaviota. What is not common is for women to point out those who have bothered them because it is not easy for them to find support, she adds in an interview.

The wave of complaints on social networks questions the measures that companies take to combat it, says René López, head of the Gender and Development research program (Gendes), an association focused on new masculinities.

Definitions of inappropriate behavior

In Mexico, 1.4 million workers have reported sexual harassment at work, according to the statement of reasons of the then federal representative Eloísa Talavera, who in 2017 proposed a series of reforms to prevent and punish sexual harassment at work.

Sexual harassment is a relatively recent term that describes an old problem, indicates the International Labor Organization (ILO). It is unwanted conduct of a sexual nature in the workplace, which makes the person feel offended, humiliated and/or intimidated.

The ILO identifies it as gender discrimination and a specific form of violence against women. And it ranges from lewd looks, comments or jokes, unnecessary and unwanted physical contact, to requests for sexual favors.

In Mexico, the General Law on Women's Access to a Life Free of Violence defines that sexual harassment occurs from a boss to a subordinate employee, sexual harassment, for its part, occurs in labor relations at the same hierarchical level.

“Sexual harassment is the exercise of power, in a relationship of real subordination of the victim to the aggressor in the workplace and/or school. It is expressed in verbal, physical or both behaviors related to sexuality with a lascivious connotation.”

“Sexual harassment is a form of violence in which, although there is no subordination, there is an abusive exercise of power that leads to a state of defenselessness and risk for the victim, regardless of whether it is carried out in one or several events. ”. (Article 13, General Law on Women's Access to a Life Free of Violence)

How to identify it?

Women know when they are being harassed. There is “a certain intuition,” says Dolores Blancas, a specialist in peace education. However, “we have been educated in this patriarchal system to feel shame, and that only aggravates the situation.”

René López agrees with her. She adds that some may initially have difficulty knowing if they are receiving a genuine expression of affection. But little by little it becomes clear to them if it is harassment, because it does not make them feel good.

The problem in general, he continues, is with men. There are many behaviors that are considered normal and are actually violent. Things, seemingly minimal, like having images of half-naked women on the office computer.

“Sometimes we greet in an invasive way, and if co-workers complain, they usually call them exaggerated,” says the specialist. In everyday life there are different expressions of harassment that have been normalized, and “suddenly it is not surprising that we are accused of something. So we minimize it with disqualifications or ridicule.”

The subtlety of harassment and men's work

There are many actors involved in these cases: the generator of violence, the victim and the accomplices or observers, says Dolores Blancas. For this reason, it is necessary for the Human Resources areas to have a care protocol, he says.

For René López, the most important thing, before regulations or action guidelines, is that executives must realize that sexual harassment has nothing to do with other workplace offenses.

It is not about proving a theft, but about an attitude, which is also normalized. The specialist tells the case of a woman who was promoted to collaborate with a director with such a good reputation that everyone congratulated her for going to work with such a gentleman and respectful man.

Due to the nature of the work they had to travel together, that's when he began to sexually harass her. She was afraid to report him to the company for fear that they would take his side. “It is not enough for the company to have a code of ethics or clearly established procedures. They must know those subtleties and complexities,” he details.

Therefore, both interviewees recommend that organizations gather information and become aware of these issues. Dolores Blancas says that at Casa Gaviota she has had to give talks to companies where a situation of harassment is being experienced.

“We have seen how the person who perpetrates violence feels discovered and how the victim feels strong when hearing their rights. And observers realize that their role is not to remain silent.” he points out.

The work with men is long-term, says René López, from Gendes. In this association they provide them with therapies or workshops in re-educational groups about another way of living masculinity. “At one point they can identify that they committed harassment, but they will continue to repeat other behaviors, because the culture allows it,” he says.

#MeToo arose from the lack of social and criminal response to women's complaints, she says. “The excesses of some do not discredit a movement with solid foundations. We need to process it, but it all comes back to the need to learn to relate.”

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