Sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH) in the workplace remains a critical challenge that undermines human dignity, organizational integrity, and productivity. Across public, private, and humanitarian sectors, SEAH persists due to power imbalances, weak accountability systems, and cultures of silence. Addressing this issue requires deliberate, structured, and preventive interventions that go beyond policy statements to practical action. This presentation argues that preventing SEAH in the workplace is achievable only through a comprehensive, survivor-centered, and accountability-driven approach that integrates strong leadership commitment, inclusive institutional culture, effective reporting mechanisms, and continuous monitoring. Prevention must be embedded into organizational systems rather than treated as a reactive response to incidents. The presentation highlights key pillars of SEAH prevention, including clear zero-tolerance policies, leadership responsibility, staff awareness and capacity building, and safe, confidential reporting channels. It emphasizes the importance of addressing power imbalances, protecting whistleblowers, and ensuring timely, impartial investigations. The role of technology, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL), and intersectional approaches is also discussed as essential to strengthening prevention, accountability, and trust in workplace systems. In conclusion, preventing SEAH is both a moral obligation and an institutional necessity. Organizations must invest in prevention frameworks, enforce accountability at all levels, and prioritize survivor dignity and safety. The call to action is clear: leaders, policymakers, and practitioners must move from commitment to action by institutionalizing SEAH prevention as a core element of workplace governance and culture.
Mr. Moses Atogo Unongu is a seasoned human trafficking investigator and protection professional with over eighteen years’ experience in law enforcement. He is an internationally certified sex crimes investigator, specializing in victim-centered investigations, intelligence-led operations, safeguarding systems, and policy development across national and international contexts and multidisciplinary anti-trafficking response leadership.