women sexually exploited in tea plantations - BBC

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Noordin Haji has ordered an investigation on tea factories in Kenya that were linked to sexual harassment in the BBC documentary; Sex for work.

The order by the DPP comes after parliament ordered an inquiry into the allegations. Deputy Speaker Gladys Shollei ordered a committee of Members of Parliament to complete an investigation into the allegations within two weeks.

The BBC found more than 70 women had been abused by their managers at plantations operated, for years, by two British companies, Unilever and James Finlay.

In the BBC investigation, workers revealed how top managers have for decades exploited women sexually with one woman revealing that she had been infected with HIV by her supervisor, after being pressured into having sex with him.

Unilever faced similar allegations more than 10 years ago and launched a “zero tolerance” approach to sexual harassment as well as a reporting system and other measures, but the BBC found evidence that allegations of sexual harassment were not being acted on.

#SexForWork has been trending on Twitter since the documentary premiered with netizens demanding for accountability from the tea firm owners.

UK High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriott has also called on investigative bodies in the country to take action following the sex for work expose by the BBC.

“I welcome the commitment by the companies to investigate, cooperate with the Kenyan authorities, and take action to protect staff in Kenya,” she said.