Harassment exists, learn how to report it
In a talk addressed to INTEC collaborators, Luis Vergés, PhD in Psychology and Health Sciences, explains how harassment manifests itself, its consequences, and the crucial role that gender policies play in eradicating workplace harassment.
SANTO DOMINGO. - As part of its initiatives to protect people from workplace harassment in the university environment, the Directorate of Persons Management of the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC) provided the training “Prevention of Harassment and Gender Violence”, with the support of Luis Vergés, PhD in Psychology and Health Sciences.
The facilitator explained how harassment manifests itself, its consequences, and the crucial role that gender policies play in reducing and eradicating workplace harassment, which he said is easily confused with violence.
"Violence is any act committed against a person using physical, verbal, or psychological force, with the intent to cause harm. Harassment, on the other hand, is a practice that is carried out more stealthily," the specialist explained.
Vergés described harassment as a strategy used to exploit people's vulnerability to gradually undermine their dignity. "That dignity can be reframed from the perspective of employability, as in the case of someone who takes advantage of a person working in an institution and begins to undermine their charisma, their performance, and the foundations that support their work behavior, simply because they enjoy it or because doing so makes them feel empowered," she added.
When addressing the topic, she emphasized the importance of having manuals, protocols, and laws in institutions to protect people from harassment, which continues silently but has significant consequences for those who suffer from it, which can even affect their mental health and personal well-being.
"That's where the importance of protocols lies, to stop the strategies being implemented. Second, to ensure there are no consequences, and third, to vindicate the victims, because in this case, if the victims of harassment continue to be re-victimized, the chances of this ending in horror are very high," she said.
Among the main measures to prevent workplace harassment, she mentioned sending a message of "zero tolerance" toward any form of harassment in the workplace and facilitating educational processes for staff about the harm it causes. "That's what we're doing. We've been very emphatic that the harm must be neutralized, and to do that, we must facilitate these processes so that you can increase your awareness on the issue and we can finally eradicate it," she said.
At the same time, she emphasized the importance of implementing a harassment prevention protocol in institutions. "You already have yours, and I know it's being implemented and is a key part of this current phase," she stated.
The specialist explained that carrying out this work to eradicate workplace harassment requires hope. "We must always begin this work with hope, because hope is a belief; hopelessness is another belief. Optimism is another belief. So, if this belief is positive, we will articulate this idea and express it in everything we do."
INTEC Gender Equality and Equity Policy
INTEC is an institution committed to promoting an inclusive and fair culture where no one is discriminated against based on their sex, age, marital status, origin, socioeconomic status, or personal preferences.
As part of the Gender Equality and Equity Policy for an Inclusive and Fair Culture, it includes the create a safe and violence-free environment, one of its five pillars, under which the protocols have been published GSL-MA-002 Protocol for the Prevention, Investigation, and Response to Harassment and GSL-MA-001 Protocol for Attention to Gender and Domestic Violence, which are based on the principles of consent and participation of the reporting person and the affected person, non-discrimination, discretion, confidentiality and the respect for the privacy of those involved to safeguard their integrity.
If you wish to report any case of harassment, violence or discrimination, you can do so through the digital mailbox. https://www.intec.edu.do/buzon-digital or report it to the Exemplary Service Center by calling 809-567-9271. To consult the harassment and violence protocols, you can do so through this link or from the Intranet portal, in the institutional documents section.