This past week the story came out that a woman who worked at the college had been being seriously sexually harassed for the past several months by a colleague. She struggled through the Omani police system, the court system, and even the Ministry of Education. In the end, she was told to either drop it or she would be deported. She's gone now, which is unfortunate for us, but for the best for her. The man is still working at the college. There is talk that the case is not over, but all tangible evidence shows that he's not suffering any consequences for his behavior.
It's sad but true that here in this region (as in MANY others) of the world, women are the first to be blamed and the last to be supported. Despite ideals of protecting women, they are marginalized and used as the scapegoat in compromising situations.
There are people at the college who care. But if the ones with the power don't take action, there is little that can be done.
We have to do what we can on the ground. Women here have to support each other. If we don't stand up for each other, we can't expect anybody else to.
1 comment:
Hi, Clare --
I just came across your blog -- it's wonderful!
I teach and coordinate international programs at a school in Richmond, Va, U.S. We're going to have two visitors from Oman next month (Michael Bos and Ahmed al-Mukhaini), and we're looking for a school that might like to set up some kind of class-to-class communication so that our students can learn more about Oman. Do you know any teachers or school personnel that might be interested? If so, my email is fturnertl@gmail.com. Thanks, Fran.
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