Further sexual harassment allegations at water board
Another allegation of sexual harassment has been made at the Nicosia waterboard, following three claims filed against the authority last month, it emerged on Wednesday.
According to a report in daily Politis, a fourth woman stepped forward to file a complaint of sexual harassment against the same individual at the Nicosia water board.
Last month, ombudswoman Maria Stylianou Lottides ordered disciplinary proceedings against a male employee at the water board after three women reported him for sexual harassment.
Lottides criticised the water board’s initial probe into the allegations as completely void, as the man was actually involved in the investigation on the claims against him.
“His involvement in the investigation on harassment violates the principle of impartiality,” she said.
Although three female employees at the Nicosia water board reported him, the board’s probe did not find any evidence of sexual harassment during its investigation of the first two complaints.
Since the fourth allegation was launched, the ombudswoman office ordered that the water board conduct a proper investigation into the matter.
The water board appointed an investigating officer into the matter of a top official who seems to be involved in the sexual harassment allegations.
According to the daily, all four women have since given detailed testimony to the investigating officer.
Since the allegations surfaced, the man has been removed from his place of work, and has been ordered to work from home, since according to the water board his suspension was not mandated.
The man is expected to continue to work from home, until a final verdict is passed on the sexual harassment.
Testimony collection and investigations seem to be ending and the officer is set to draw up a verdict, which will be submitted to the board of the Nicosia water board.
The board will then issue either a fine or fire the man.
The fourth woman to step forward decided to tell her story to the ombudswoman, following the complaints of the other three.
She claimed that she had not stepped forward prior due to the fact her boss had been threatening her.
In the first complaint filed, the woman claimed that during the last two years she had been discriminated against based on her gender, and that from 2008 to 2018 she had been verbally sexually harassed and non-verbally harassed.
She claimed that during that time, she had received a number of erotic statements from the man about her looks and her body, and that he had tried a number of times to be alone with her.
According to the testimony, the woman had told her husband about the unwanted advances and comments, and they both decided together to not go to the police at the time.
The second woman said that she had also received unwarranted advances and attempts by the man to be alone with her, something she did not want.
He even told her that she reminded him of a woman that he was involved with in the past.
In the third case, the woman said that the man had consistently violated her personal space, touched on the back and on the shoulder inappropriately, and had continuously spoken to her about her appearance, and that he wanted her to come to his office more often.
In her testimony, she said that eventually the unwarranted invitations and compliments were only made to her.
In her urgent letter last month, Lottides said: “Based on the investigation of all three complaints and the testimonies, I conclude there is evidence against the accused, indicating that non-physical sexual harassment was expressed both verbally and non-verbally.”
As a result, the women are victims of gender-based discrimination at work.