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29/08/2008
At least 50% of women are estimated to have suffered from some form of bullying, mobbing, harassment or violence at work in Hungary, according to data from the Equal Treatment Authority (Egyenlő Bánásmód Hatóság, EBH), a body which was set up by the Hungarian government to receive and deal with complaints about unequal treatment.
EBH has been operating since 2005. Its experience shows that most cases of harassment are difficult to prove because the alleged victims are afraid to come forward and do not want to recall their experiences. Although harassment is often believed to be exclusively sexual in nature, it can take other forms, such as bullying or mobbing. According to EBH, every second female worker has been harassed in the workplace in Hungary, with the victims mainly ranging between 17 and 30 years of age. Reports and experience show that, in 40% of cases, the boss is the perpetrator. In 20% of cases, a colleague is the perpetrator and, in 20% of cases, the harassment stems from a group of colleagues. In 50% of the cases, the harassment involves verbal aggression and, in 10% of cases, it includes physical violence.
The Hungarian legislation does not contain a definition of sexual harassment or harassment in the workplace, and therefore it is almost impossible to take legal action in such cases.
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