HARASSMENT AND PROBLEM SOLVING
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HARASSMENT AND PROBLEM SOLVING |
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Harassment appears to be a universal phenomenon. The reason why an individual or a group of individuals bother, robs, belittle, bully or sexually harass others vary from boredom to curiosity to long-standing ethnic, class or national hostility. Senegal is generally viewed as a peaceful country but it has also witnessed some harassment cases which are sometimes serious. These range from robbery, house breaking, rape, mugging, discrimination etc. To ensure one is on guard, the following places should be avoided:
Some Crime Related Places:
Beaches, inter-city bus terminals (Colobane and Pompier in Dakar), bus stops, slums, some drinking places (clandos), markets, gambling places, brothels, and generally crowded places, especially stadiums at the end of sports competitions or music shows.
Ensuring Safety
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• Avoid walking alone at night or in isolated places |
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• Be cautious of giving rides to people you don't know |
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• Know very well the person you give your address to |
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• Don't expose large sums of money |
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• Put money in safe pocket or purse |
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• Don't have sexual affairs with married people |
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• Before making friends with someone, introduce him/her to your host family, colleagues or language instructors |
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• Beware of scams (a common story is about a friend or a family member who is sick or who has had an accident and needs your financial help.) |
Other Forms Of Harassment And How To Cope
This word means "white person" and it is not derogatory. But the fact that people, especially children, keep calling you Tubaab instead of your name can sound discriminating and may bother you. You can ignore them or tell them your real name, but avoid showing your anger. One common practice amonst the Wolof is to call other people by their ethnic groups (Boy Pulo, Sereer, Joola, etc), which actually means "I know who you are, or rather what you are) and is a good excuse to initiate joking relationships.
Among Senegalese, it is common for people to beg or to borrow things and money from eachother. As a foreigner, you may be appraoched frequently with this type of request since you are generally considered to be rich. If you don't want to encourage them you should send them away politely. Tell them you are a volunteer/development worker and not a tourist, or make a polite excuse like "I'd like to help you but I can't given my situation at this time". Also, when you give money to your friends or family, they usually think that they don't have to pay you back. Often this is what happens: you hear your friend or 'brother' or sister' say they want something but they cannot afford it; you offer to help by saying "I have the money with me, I can give you what you need" (what you mean is 'I give it to you now, you give it back later'), and the person takes it as a gift. S/he may never pay you back that money, although s/he might spend a lot more than the sum owed you.
As anywhere in the world, some people would like to be your "friends" so that they can financially and materially benefit from you. Given the difficult economic realities of Senegal today, they may also expect you to help them to go to Europe or North America. As a result they might ask for your address, telephone number, etc. If you are not interested, show indifference. Tell them you have no phone or give any plausible excuse. Naturally and over time, you will have the opportunity to meet many people and make good and lasting friendships.
Whether you are male or female you will probably one day be approached by someone who would like to engage you in a relationship. If you are interested, give yourself the time to get to know this person. If you are not, then you can walk out tactfully by demonstrating an uninterested attitude or by directly expressing the fact that you are not interested. Tell them you are married or you have a fiancée. Or, even that you consider them as your 'brother' or 'sister' and that you want them to treat you as such.
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Except in supermarkets and stores where the prices are marked, bargaining is the common practice when shopping in open markets and in many smaller stores. Vendors will not generally bargain on items which are commonly sold by the measurement, e.g. cup of sugar, quantity of salt or spices, kilo of meat, cup of oil, etc.
Vegetable prices, however, will vary according to their availability. In some cases one might notice there are different prices set, one price for Senegalese people and another, higher price for foreigners or tourists. The difference in price sets will not vary much with food items, but will for fabric, wood work, craft and luxury items.
Many people feel justified in asking more from foreigners given the obvious economic disparity, and also given the inherent sense of Islamic charity in which one having more is expected to give to those with less. Being able to use a local language delights vendors. However, there is a point at which a vendor will go no further and may become intransigent, insulted or even bored if one persists in undercutting the last stated price. Prices may vary from day to day depending on the vendor's mood or situation, as well as the approach of the customer. Bargaining can be fun and is a great way to make conversation with Senegalese people and practice language skills. If the effort to get beneath the tourist price is taken too seriously, a great deal of time and frustration may be wasted over a few francs. Vendors will also become offended if you bargain for an item with no intention of buying it.
One approach is not to go right to the item you want, pretend to be just browsing, then ask as if you just wanted to know the price. Then after bargaining in two or three shops far from each other, you certainly will have a better sense of the normal price. Also, ask around about the price of things you want to buy. Don't forget that you are in an oral culture.
From
ACI
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