"She Should be Silent"
Blaming women for harassment, rape is what hundreds of millions of men are taught to believe. The code for women in this country is simple: Dress modestly, don't go out at night, don't go to bars and clubs, and don’t go out alone. If you break the code, you will be blamed for the consequences. Likewise, Anita was a girl who broke the rule and suffered. Anita, a girl of 20, was excited and thrilled when she got a job in a renowned hotel in Kathmandu. Being efficient, hardworking and sincere, she impressed the management in a short time. After she had been working for a year on the job, a new manager was appointed as her supervisor. The new supervisor soon became friendly with Anita and later began asking sexual favors from her. Anita did not like this and asked the supervisor to stop, but the supervisor kept harassing her, sometimes by looking at her body, sometimes calling her to his room and trying to touch her. This behavior created a very uncomfortable atmosphere to work; so, Anita decided to leave the job. The Manager of the hotel was surprised to find Anita’s resignation letter and therefore demanded an explanation. As she found it difficult to handle the trauma she was going through, she did not want to mention anything and wanted to quit the job quietly. However after a great deal of sympathy from the personnel manager, Anita said that she was leaving the hotel because her supervisor sexually harassed her. The management promised Anita that such actions would not be repeated and that she should continue. However, Anita stuck by her decision not to withdraw her resignation as she came to know that there is no law that can criminalize the manger for sexual harassment. After a few weeks, she called the personnel manager with whom she was friendly and said that she is happy and excited, as she has been able to get another job in the civil services. However, after a few months she again called the personnel manager and informed him that even in the government offices she has been facing similar harassments. There is no difference in the working environment in private sectors or government sectors.