“Harassed”. This is a word I often hear in the Ombud’s Office. Actively listening to my visitors, I explore their definition of the term and seek concrete examples of situations where they felt “harassed”.

I recently took part in a training session, on Zoom – where else these days? – that I found extremely useful and recommend that you all attend as soon as you can. This is all about being an active bystander and contributing to create a culture of respect.

Tom’s farewell drink had got off to a good start and, after a few glasses, everyone was in high spirits.

The deluge of reactions and accounts of abuse since the Weinstein affair hit the headlines has led me to reflect on a sometimes hidden problem: sexual harassment.

‘A team of scientists heated a pan of water to a high temperature. Then they tried to put a live frog into it. The frog jumped out immediately. A second frog was put in a pan of cold water that was gradually heated to boiling. That frog never tried to jump. It was boiled to death.’

Conflict happens, and in a large international organisation like ours it is often inevitable. Indeed, when it happens in the context of a confrontation of different ideas, opinions or methods it can be considered to be a healthy component of effective collaboration.

About one year since I last covered the topic of sexual harassment, I am returning to this theme again as it continues to be raised in the Ombud office.

In a previous Bulletin article we discussed the issue of how to deal with unwanted declarations of love.