Poll highlights sexual harassment in workplace

ONE IN ten people have fallen prey to sexual harassment at the workplace, a study by the European University of Cyprus has shown.

The survey, which polled 650 men and women aged 18 to 65, touched upon a subject regarded until very recently as a taboo in Cypriot society.

The predominant offender profile emerging from the findings was that of a male boss or superior, usually married.

Methods of perceived sexual harassment ranged from touching, sexual innuendo and/or comments, and pressure on a subordinate to socialise outside the office, or direct overtures in return for a promotion.

Eighty-five per cent of those polled described this type of sexual harassment as merely “uncomfortable,” with 15 per cent saying it was “of real concern.”

An estimated four per cent of sexual harassment cases ended in attempted rape, the study found.
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The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.