On one hand, HRs in different companies are conducting seminars on sexual harassment and we are talking about women empowerment and celebrating women's day and then comes this survey report which just talks about the opposite. According to a survey, commissioned by the non-profit CARE and published recently in honor of IWD and part of a new campaign from the Atlanta-based humanitarian organization: Nearly a quarter of men across eight countries think it's acceptable for an employer to expect an employee to have *** with them.

© Thinkstock

Isn't that shocking? How people even across developed countries have such an ideology, let alone what will be going on in developed countries.

Well, this does not end here. In Ecuador, 21% of 18 to 24-year-olds think that it is okay to kiss a colleague at an office party without even asking for a permission or will, and in the UK 35% of 25 to 34-year-olds think that it's acceptable to pinch a colleague's bottom in jest. Wow? One strange world it is.

This is what Michelle Nunn, president, and CEO of CARE has to say after these disturbing but true revelations came into light, “If we now know how difficult it is on the producers' chair in L.A., imagine how difficult it is someplace like Bangladesh on the factory floor.”

According to Nunn, sexual harassment in the workplace isn't yet illegal in about one-third of the countries in the world as of now. Taking a step forwards CARE is calling on the International Labour Organization (ILO) to create new global regulations around the agenda “freedom from violence in the workplace.” They are asking supporters to sign a petition (#ThisIsNotWorking) to push the ILO forward.

© Thinkstock

As per a press release from CARE, freedom from sexual abuse is as fundamental as the right to “a bathroom break, or overtime pay or an eight-hour day.” Nunn says private sectors have a huge role to play in taking this initiative forward.

The survey conducted by Harris poll says it includes data from 9,408 adults in Australia, Egypt, the U.S., U.K., Ecuador, India, South Africa, and Vietnam. Another CARE spokesperson shared that these eight countries were chosen as a global sample as they “cut across geography and development levels.

Talking about the positive side of the survey it revealed that: About 65% of women say they believe the #MeToo movement will bring a  positive impact in their countries. Another positive came from every geography polled except for Egypt, where more than half of adults say recent sexual harassment scandals in Hollywood will result in improved workplace behavior in other industries as well.