This happened some time ago. I thought of it in connection with a recent event that I do not wish to write about so as to protect identity of people concerned.
"Sir, I need to talk to you."
I looked up from my work. It was an Assistant Professor from another unit. She looked disturbed and determined at the same time. That looked like trouble.
"Please sit down" I said. "What is it?"
"Sir, my immediate superior keeps saying dirty things to me."
"Huh?" I said. "Dirty as in a man saying such things to a woman?"
"Yes" she seemed close to tears and yet brave.
"Why don't you complain against him?" I asked.
"I can. But I came to you to ask you something. He said you are his friend. He threatened to complain to you about me if I complained about him."
I was stunned. The cheek of this guy! We had never been friends. We had never talked casually at any time before or after I had taken charge of the department. The faculty knew of my opinion of this person's lack of efficiency and tendency to shirk work. That he would call me his friend just to intimidate a junior woman colleague was appalling.
"I will make this clear" I said. "I am friendly with all my colleagues in the department, because I have to run it with peace and produce good results. That does not make all of my colleagues my friends. This person is NOT a friend of mine. I don't have any dirty people as friends. But even if he were my friend, I would not shield him or harass a woman complainant for complaining against his sexually harassing her. I strongly urge you to lodge a complaint against him. We have a cell in the institute to deal with such matters and protect women employees. I will forward your complaint to the Dean , who will send it to this cell."
"I did not believe you would harass me" she said. "I just wanted to check the truth in his statement of you being his friend. I have told him today in no uncertain terms that I will complain to the Dean if he harasses me again" she said. "I will lodge a complaint if he troubles me again."
He apparently did not trouble her again. At least there was o complaint from her until she left for greener pastures a few years later.
"Sir, I need to talk to you."
I looked up from my work. It was an Assistant Professor from another unit. She looked disturbed and determined at the same time. That looked like trouble.
"Please sit down" I said. "What is it?"
"Sir, my immediate superior keeps saying dirty things to me."
"Huh?" I said. "Dirty as in a man saying such things to a woman?"
"Yes" she seemed close to tears and yet brave.
"Why don't you complain against him?" I asked.
"I can. But I came to you to ask you something. He said you are his friend. He threatened to complain to you about me if I complained about him."
I was stunned. The cheek of this guy! We had never been friends. We had never talked casually at any time before or after I had taken charge of the department. The faculty knew of my opinion of this person's lack of efficiency and tendency to shirk work. That he would call me his friend just to intimidate a junior woman colleague was appalling.
"I will make this clear" I said. "I am friendly with all my colleagues in the department, because I have to run it with peace and produce good results. That does not make all of my colleagues my friends. This person is NOT a friend of mine. I don't have any dirty people as friends. But even if he were my friend, I would not shield him or harass a woman complainant for complaining against his sexually harassing her. I strongly urge you to lodge a complaint against him. We have a cell in the institute to deal with such matters and protect women employees. I will forward your complaint to the Dean , who will send it to this cell."
"I did not believe you would harass me" she said. "I just wanted to check the truth in his statement of you being his friend. I have told him today in no uncertain terms that I will complain to the Dean if he harasses me again" she said. "I will lodge a complaint if he troubles me again."
He apparently did not trouble her again. At least there was o complaint from her until she left for greener pastures a few years later.
