Female personal assistants to members of parliament are accusing the legislators of sexual harassment.
The matter came up on Monday when members of the Uganda Parliamentarians Personal and Research Assistants Association presented a petition to the speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga over poor working conditions and remuneration by the legislators.
The association, which is led by Festo Kajura in interim capacity, is composed of over 150 members. Some female members told Kadaga that they face sexual harassment from MPs who employ them. Diana Bakaire, a member of the association, said several ladies employed by the legislators are pressurized into sex by the MPs so as to keep their jobs.
In a bid to urgently address the matter, the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has formed an eight-member all-women committee to probe into the allegations as well as advise the female workers on how to can avoid being sexually exploited by their bosses who employ them.
Diana Kembabazi, a member said several female personal assistants are sexually harassed.
They pleaded for the speaker’s intervention on the matter.
In an interview, Kadaga said that she has formed a committee of senior women to investigate the matter. She, however, refused to disclose the names of the committee members.
According to the personal assistants, the younger girls especially those in higher institutions of learning and from colleges are most affected.
