Silent Battles: Confronting Gender Harassment in an Overloo

What I will share today is something that hurt me deeply.  

I was hired as a solid waste management specialist to work on marine plastic waste in my country.  

This job requires some interviews with different stakeholders, and one of them was someone working in the recycling sector.  

Two weeks ago, I contacted him and asked for some information. He said he had the information, so I asked for it. Then, he said, "I can't give you this information. If you need it, come see me and have a chat with me." He added that this chat had to be a private one.  

I felt so disrespected at that moment because it was clearly harassment. I felt disrespected as a woman, and above all, as a professional. I asked myself a thousand times, if I were a man, would he have had the same attitude? And how much longer will women have to endure this?  

I kept thinking, I generally hold a senior, leadership position in my work, and I still go through this. Imagine the other women who are in different positions. And worse, we're talking about the waste sector, one of the most marginalized sectors. I wondered how women in that sector, who are completely vulnerable in every sense, are treated.  

It broke my heart.  

We need to continue talking about women's financial inclusion, but there is also much work to be done to end harassment and gender-based violence.