A BBC investigation has uncovered sexual exploitation on tea estates that supply some of the UK’s most popular brands, including Sainsbury’s supermarket chain PG Tips, Lipton and Red Label.
More than 70 women on Kenyan tea plantations, owned for years by two British companies, told the BBC they had been sexually abused by their supervisors.
Secret footage showed local bosses, on plantations owned by Unilever and James Finlay & Co, pressuring an undercover reporter to have sex.
Three managers were suspended.
“It’s torture”
Unilever faced similar allegations more than 10 years ago and launched a “zero tolerance” campaign for sexual harassment, as well as a reporting system and other measures.
However, a joint BBC Africa Eye and Panorama investigation found evidence that no action was being taken on allegations of sexual harassment.
Tom Odula, a BBC journalist, spoke to women working on the tea estates of both companies. Some told him that Because work is so scarce, they have no choice but to give in to the sexual demands of their bosses. or face having no income.
“I can’t lose my job because I have children,” said one woman.
Another woman said that a division manager would not let her work until she agreed to have sex with him.
“It’s torture; he wants to sleep with you, then you get a job,” she explained.
A woman also told the BBC that her supervisor had infected her with HIV, after she was pressured to have sex with him.
secret filming
To gather more evidence on the allegations of sexual abuse, the BBC recruited undercover reporter Katy (not her real name) to work on the tea estates.
On one occasion Katy was invited to a job interview with a recruiter for James Finlay & Co named John Chebochok. The interview turned out to be in a hotel room.
Chebochok, who has worked on the Finlay plantations for more than 30 years, first as a farm manager and then as the owner of a contracting company, had already been singled out as a “predatory” by several women who spoke to the BBC’s Tom Odula.
Katy was held against a window by Chebochok, who asked her to touch him and undress.
“I’ll give you some money, then I’ll give you a job. I’ve helped you, help me,” he said.
“We go to bed, finish and leave. Then you come and work.”
Katy made it clear that she did not consent. Finally, Chebochok gave up and a member of the production team, who was waiting nearby to ensure Katy’s safety, made a phone call to give her an excuse to leave.
“I was so scared and so shocked. It must be really hard for the women who work under Chebochok,” Katy said.
Harassment
James Finlay & Co said Chebochok was immediately suspended after the BBC contacted the company. The company said it had also reported him to the police and was now investigating whether his Kenyan operation has “an endemic problem with sexual violence.”
Katy also experienced sexual harassment when she worked undercover on a farm, which was run by Unilever at the time.
There, she was invited to an induction day, where a division manager named Jeremiah Koskei gave a speech to his new employees about Unilever’s zero-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment.
However, he then invited “Katy” to meet him at a hotel bar that night and tried to pressure her into having sex with him, suggesting that they return to his compound together.
“If my whole life was really tied to this opportunity, I can only imagine how that encounter would have played out,” Katy said.
Katy was assigned to the weeding crew – it’s grueling work, six days a week, and many women ask to be transferred.
The supervisor there, Samuel Yebei, asked her for sex in exchange for lighter duties.
When Katy reported the behavior to one of Unilever’s sexual harassment officers, she was told: “Stand by your principles. Don’t trade your body for a job.”
Despite following up to find out what action was being taken against his superiors, he received no response.
Answer
Unilever says it is “deeply shocked and saddened” by the allegations. The company sold its Kenyan operation while the BBC secretly filmed.
The new owner, Lipton Teas and Infusions, says it has “immediately suspended the two managers” and ordered a “full and independent investigation”.
Jeremiah Koskei did not respond to our request for comment and Samuel Yebei denies the allegations against him.
James Finlay and Co supplies Kenyan tea to Sainsbury’s and Tesco supermarkets, as well as Starbucks.
Responding to the BBC investigation, Sainsbury’s said: “These horrific allegations have no place in our supply chain.”
Tesco said it takes the allegations “extremely seriously” and is in “constant dialogue” with Finlay’s to ensure “robust action” is taken.
Starbucks issued a statement saying it was “deeply concerned” and that it had taken “immediate steps” to suspend purchases from James Finlay and Company in Kenya.
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BBC-NEWS-SRC: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-internacional-64706411, IMPORTING DATE: 2023-02-23 05:00:09
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