Safe spaces for women

THE Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, 2010, was an important response to problems that directly affect women. It enabled the ombudsman to hear cases, many of which were resolved in women’s favour. A recent judgement has now eliminated an avenue that many women used to report harassment. The Federal Constitutional Court’s ruling , which narrows the interpretation of harassment, is a setback for women’s space in public life. Unfortunately, it appears to show that a major state institution is prepared to restrict rather than expand women’s safety at work. From birth to…