ASH Bhutan: anti-sexual harassment

16/06/2022

As per the Penal Code of Bhutan (Sections 205 and 206), “a defendant shall be guilty of s*xual harassment, if the defendant makes unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal abuse of s*xual nature,” and the offence of s*xual harassment is a petty misdemeanor and of criminal nature.

However, present administrative and criminal punishments are insufficient, and there are no systems in place to effectively recompense and care for victims, including counseling services throughout the country. Sexual harassment is a serious issue and it must be treated as so.

The video presents 8 ways to address s*xual harassment and measures to help the victims.
(Source: https://www.workplacesrespond.org/blog/top-10-things-men-can-right-now-address-s*xual-harassment-workplace/)

Thank you for supporting team ASH Bhutan and we hope the initiatives we have taken so far was educational and knowledgeable to the viewers la

12/06/2022

We the ‘Team ASH Bhutan’ advocated about s*xual harassment in and around the local shops of kanglung community on 12/06/2022

We hope they were able to gain some insights on the topic and are now aware about their rights

We also shared the toll free helpline to the local people in case they needed to voice out their story

*xualharassment

09/06/2022

ლ My say ლ

*Sexual Harassment or an abuse of power*

~Sexual harassment is a serious concern that needs immediate action. As per the penal code of Bhutan a defendant shall be guilty of s*xual harassment, if the defendant makes uncomfortable physical, verbal or non-verbal abuse of s*xual nature and such offence is a petty misdemeanor and of criminal nature.
Sexual harassment is really not about s*x instead it's about power, aggression and manipulation. It isn't something that happens because of fleeting circumstances or desire rather it is driven in all sectors by an imbalance in power. It is most of the time a starting place for further physical violence. Moreover, the report of s*xual harassment are a fraction of the actual incidences that occur daily in mainly work places across the country.
In most cases of s*xual Harassment, the perpetrator will have some power or authority over the victim. Additionally, the perpetrator may be totally unaware that their behavior constitutes harassment. Comments like ' she was asking for it, or I was complimenting her, are inappropriate as it is rooted in ill intent. Neither ' having fun with you' is a casual remark not even placing a hand on women's back without consent does not constitute appropriate behavior.
Women are mostly afraid of opening up about the unwanted s*xual behaviors they get from men. However, women are now becoming more comfortable reporting about s*xual harassment in their workplaces.
The media spotlight on s*xual harassment may motivate workplaces to adopt s*xual harassment training programs but it it not enough to change the attitudes or reducing s*xual harassment.
We must discontinue the culture of condoning violence and harassment against women. More workplace training and education on s*xual harassment and developing safe avenues for those victimized to report harassment along with the perpetrators holding responsible are measures to eliminate s*xual harassment. Furthermore, there is a need for strong policies against s*xual harassment cases and those policies must be implemented.

Thank you Rada for sharing your views on s*xual Harassment 💐

06/06/2022

Collection of views from students of different institutions about s*xual harassment.

03/06/2022

Team ASH Bhutan conducted an interactive advocacy program on the topic ‘s*xual harassment in Bhutan’ on 03/06/2022

The audience involved were undergrads from Sherubtse college

After the session, Questions and Recommendations were made by the audience along with the need for reformulating the current policy on s*xual harassment & r**e

31/05/2022

To raise awareness on s*xual harassment, a number of pamphlets were handed to lecturers, non-teaching staffs, and students.
◉Some Pamphlet copies are also available in the library◉

17/05/2022

According to the Violence Against Children Report of Bhutan 2016, " only 1 in 10 children told someone about their experience of s*xual violence or harassment, with the vast majority telling their peers. This indicates that such issues mostly stay hidden, perpetuated and unaddressed. 12.8 percent of children suffered from s*xual violence at least once in their lifetime".

Toll Free Help Line Services: Royal Bhutan Police (RBP- 113) and National Commission for Women and Children (NCWC- 1098)

Trigger warning: Sexual Assault

“I was coming home from college in India for the first time. Somehow the flight schedule was different for me and my friends. This changed everything.

I didn’t have much money because of ATM card problems. I’d asked to use my friend’s money but because of the flight mismatch, I was left without any. On reaching the destination airport, I was still 5 hours away from Phuentsholing. I knew no one there except a Bhutanese man in his 50s who we’d met earlier. He offered to help me. It was quite late by then and it was a town new to me, so I took his help. When we reached Phuentsholing, it was almost midnight. My friends’ phones were unreachable and I didn’t know anyone or anything much about the town. The man said I could use his room as he was going to be out all night with some work. With no options left, I agreed. He left, as he’d said but I asked some college seniors to stay online just in case.

I stayed up most of the night and he still hadn’t come. So I finally went to sleep, exhausted. But in the morning, the man was on top of me, reeking of alcohol. I pushed him off but he kept going. He even discharged his semen all over me. I shouted in disbelief. What he did next was sickening - he handed me an emergency contraceptive pill, although I was sure nothing like that had happened. After that, I felt like an odour was coming off my body that I couldn’t rinse off. Even today, I wash myself obsessively when I’m anxious.

I was traumatised. I never travelled back that way to college. I was ashamed to even tell people about it. I started distancing myself and travelling by myself. It was a way of coping. I now have a hard time trusting people and their intentions, especially men. But I make sure to tell any partners I have about the incident and how it still triggers me.

When this happened to me, I didn’t report the crime or call a helpline because no one ever taught me how. So, I wish to help promote empowerment and education of women and girls. The root of all problems in society is the lack of these things.”

Humans of Thimphu with YPEER Asia Pacific Center -Ypeer AP brings stories of young people’s unmet SRHR empowerment and needs in hopes of making

13/05/2022

Bhutan’s most popular comedian and actor, Mr. Phurpa Thinley nga raises awareness on the rising issues of r**e case in Bhutan, which falls under the category of s*xual harassment. It is important to know that s*xual harassment also includes behaviors that are considered criminal offenses such as s*xual assault/r**e.

According to TheBhutanese, “RBP received 6 cases of statutory r**e (below 12 years of age) until 17th November, 2021 and 49 cases of r**e of child above 12 years of age making it a total of 55 cases. There is an increase by 9 cases of r**e of a child above 12 years of age from 2020, while the statutory r**e remains the same.”

We would like to thank Mr. Phurpa Thinley for taking time out of his busy schedule to spread awareness on this important issue la.

We hope this video is educational to the viewers.

04/05/2022

As quoted by John Maxwell, “a leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.”

Some leaders of Sherubtse College shared their views and opinions on the topic ‘s*xual harassment’ as it is becoming an important social issue to be discussed in Bhutan.

We would like to thank the leaders for taking their time to talk about this issue despite busy schedule.
F I N A Sherubtse
རྟ་མགྲིན་ རྒྱལ་མཚན
Tshewang Dhorjay

This video is solely for educational purposes.

27/04/2022

Mr. Chencho Dorji, President of Film Association in Bhutan and an actor shares his views on s*xual harassment.

We would like to sincerely thank him for taking time to share his views, despite busy schedule.

Chencho Dorji

*xualharassment

25/04/2022

Sexual harassment has diverse effects on different people, and many people are victims of it every day. Someone among these individuals may be experiencing this issue. What will society do to aid in the prevention of this issue? Anyone can be a victim of s*xual harassment. People may believe that they should speak up for themselves, but they do not; instead, they remain silent and let the circumstance pass them by.

Team ASH Bhutan presented posters around the college campus to spread awareness on s*xual harassment.