Sexual Harassment Experiences of Female Prisoners in Jail

Abstract

The present study was carried out to investigate the experiences of sexual harassment among female prisoners in jail. 100 female prisoners from central jails of Gujrat and Gujranwala district (Gujrat = 35, Gujranwala = 65) participated in the study. The data were collected by using purposive sampling. Sexual Harassment Experiences Questionnaire (Kamal & Tariq, 1997) was used to measure study variable. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Mean, standard deviation (M = 151.2, SD = 12.28) and graphical representation of data were made in descriptive statistics. In inferential statistics, Shapiro-Wilk's test was used which indicated normal distribution of data (p = .76). Further, two-step cluster analysis was applied to identify level of sexual harassment among female prisoners. Results of cluster analysis categorized data into three levels high, medium and low. The study established that 80% of respondents scored on medium level of Unwanted Sexual Attention and 9% of respondents scored on high level of Gender Harassment, whereas, 11% of respondents scored on low level of Sexual Coercion. Overall, results of study depicted that there was medium level of sexual harassment among female prisoners. Results of this study would be useful for policy makers and higher administration of the Jail department in order to improve jail environment by preventing sexual harassment.

Psychological and Health Issues Faced by Women and Their Perceptions About Preventing Measures in District Jail Faisalabad, Punjab Pakistan: A Qualitative Study

“…The contact with family is also not easy which contribute negatively in the psychological issues of the prisoner women (Rujiprak, 2021). Sexual harassment at jails is also a reason of emotional and psychological problems (Abid et. al., 2020).…”