Co chair IBA Africa, Anthony Atata Commends NBA-SBL For Taking A Lead In The Conversation On S*Xual Harassment In The Legal Profession

The Co Chair of International Bar Association- African Regional
forum and a member of IBA Working group on Bullying and Sexual
Harrassment in the legal profession has commended the Nigerian Bar
Association- Section on Business Law (NBA- SBL)for taking a lead in
the conversation .

Anthony Atata who was in London for the IBA launch of the
Project was appointed a member of the IBA working group from Africa
that undertook the survey . He expressed his appreciation to SBL
for the bold step saying that when the research began more than a
year ago,he was unsure if lawyers in Africa were ready to tackle
the subject.

In his capacity as the Co Chair of IBA Africa and a member of
the working group,he has made the discussion on the subject a
priority.

He pledged to visit and encourage Bar Associations across Africa
to join in this discussion which has been ignored for a long time
in the profession.

The survey of 7,000 legal professionals across the world, of
which more than 10 per cent were from the UK, found that the most
common form of sexual harassment was sexist or sexually suggestive
comments but one in five of those who complained said they had been
kissed or groped.

Whilst a quarter of those who had experienced sexual harassment
reported incidents within the last 12 months, many of the more
serious cases were historic, it was noted.

In the UK levels of bullying, at a reported 51 per cent, are
above the global average of 43 per cent.

“Ridicule or demeaning language” is the most common form of
bullying and globally lawyers felt most targeted in Government
legal departments. This was reflected in the UK where all 41
Government lawyers who responded said that they had been
bullied.

Of those who reported bullying 82 per cent their workplace’s
response was insufficient and in 84 per cent of cases the
perpetrator was not sanctioned.

In more than half of bullying cases and three quarters of sexual
harassment cases incidents were not reported. More than 65 per cent
of bullied practitioners have either left or considered leaving
their workplace as a result.

Kieran Pender, who led the project, said that the “status of the
perpetrator” and “fear of repercussions and because the incidents
are often endemic” contributed to the lack of reporting.

On female lawyer said that after she did report seriously
inappropriate physical contact the partners at her firm “closed
ranks around the perpetrator” and promoted him, leaving her with no
choice but to quit.
The IBA made a series of recommendations including raising
awareness and developing and implementing policies, standards,
training and procedures to deal with bullying and harassment.

The report concluded: “The shoemaker’s son, according to the
proverb, often goes barefoot. And so it is that the legal
profession – predicated on upholding the law, maintaining the
highest ethical standards and advising other professions on doing
the same – is rife with bullying and sexual harassment.

“Such conduct is illegal in many jurisdictions, contrary to
professional obligations, and immoral.

“Yet, as highlighted by this global survey – the largest of its
kind – bullying and sexual harassment affect a significant portion
of the legal workforce. From overbearing supervision to physical
violence, and from sexist slurs to sexual assault, the nature of
the conduct varies widely. But these incidents are unified by a
single factor: such conduct is unacceptable in the modern legal
workplace.

“It is hoped that this research serves as a wake-up call for the
profession.”