Jamama Jumbo, a female employee at Diamond Mineral Company, has alleged that she was forced to have sex with the company's Human Resource Officer, Moses T. William, before she could be hired.
Speaking during a protest on Monday in front of the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC) compound, where unpaid workers of Diamond Mineral gathered to demand their Christmas benefits, Jamama shared the disturbing details of her experience.
According to her, when she was looking for a Job, Moses brought her to the company's HR department, and during an interview, he told her plainly that he wanted her and that the only way she could get the job was to sleep with him.
Jamama said she initially refused, and as a result, was not hired. However, Mr. William allowed her to keep coming to the company under the condition that she would eventually agree to the relationship.
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
"Every time I came to work, they would leave me outside. I would just stand outside the gate while others were working," she explained. "I had children at home and no other way to provide for them."
She recalled that one day, Mr. William confronted her at the gate and told her, "The only way you'll work here is if I sleep with you." Feeling desperate, she agreed.
"It was not my will to give myself to him, but I was in need of a job. Things are not easy, so I had to sleep with him," she said.
After some time, Jamama discovered that Mr. William was married. She said she asked to end the relationship because she could not continue under such conditions. However, he allegedly threatened that she would lose her job if she stopped.
"He told me if I stopped having sex with him, I would be dismissed. I didn't want to lose my job because I have children depending on me. So, I agreed and kept going along with him," she said.
In addition, she claimed the sexual relationship continued for years and many workers in the building knew that Mr. William loved her, but "only the two of us knew the full story.'
"People in the building knew he was sleeping with me, but no one knew exactly what was happening. He was pretending to be in love with me."
She also said she never reported the abuse or sought help because she feared losing her job. She started at the company by sweeping floors, but after the relationship with Mr. William began, she was moved to work on the production line.
"The daily hire workers were placed on the production line, while we, the employees, were left weeping on the floors. That's how I moved to the line," she explained.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Meanwhile, Efforts to get comments from Diamond Mineral Company officials have been unsuccessful, as Calls placed to the contact number listed on the company's website went unanswered, and a WhatsApp and local message sent to the same number received no response as of press time.
