Women on Tea Plantations in Kenya Frequently Sexually Abused by Bosses

Women on tea plantations in Kenya are sexually abused by their bosses. This is according to a confidential report by the British broadcaster BBC.

More than 70 plantation workers told the BBC they were sexually assaulted by their bosses. The tea plantations supply well-known brands such as Lipton and PG Tips.

The testimonies show that the victims had no other option than to comply with the sex demands of their superiors because otherwise, they risked losing their job. One of the witnesses stated that she contracted HIV.

A journalist posing as a candidate for employment was pressured to have sexual relations in exchange for a job.

Food group Unilever said it was “deeply shocked and saddened”. Just as the BBC secretly filmed in Kenya, the company sold its tea division to investor CVC Capital Partners for 4.5 billion euros. The new owner has suspended two managers and is having the matter investigated independently.

James Finlay, another tea producer involved, told the BBC that an executive was suspended and reported to the police. An investigation has also begun to determine whether there is “an endemic problem of sexual violence,” it said.