On sexual assault, and the role of higher education and teachers in empowering victims

It was just a regular course on business expansion in new markets. As every course that I’m teaching this year at various universities in Brest & Quimper, I dive into each course, equipped with theories infused with my own stories and anecdotes. The latter especially, coupled with humour, and at times the brutality of realities from the ground, what and how to anticipate them. I know these stories captivate my students, and engage them at a deeper cognitive level that allow for longer memory retention of important theories embedded within the course.?

One of my favourite anecdotes involved an important contract, one that involved complex and long negotiations. This contract would later become a cornerstone to an entire distribution network established in Southern Africa within less that 18 months. Things ended well, however the process was very unpredictable, and quite bumpy !

I shared without censorship with my students examples of the dialogue, the tactics used in this negotiation. The “hey sweetheart”, “I’d rather speak to a man”, or “a young woman is not going to teach me how to do business after 40 years”… I shared all, raw, gave insights, gave advice, that despite all, you can still close that deal (within reason). I looked especially at the girls in the class, and said:

"one must identify what’s personal, what’s business, and what's a destabilising negotiation tactic, to not hinder you from still getting that deal regardless of potential provocations that could very easily get under your skin".

At the end of the course, a student approached me to share a business idea she worked on since two years. She talked about it with a glimmer in her eyes.?

I said “well all this sounds really great, but how can I be of help?"

• I’m not sure if I should go further with it.
• Is the idea keeping you up at night ?
• Oh yes !
• Well, that’s a sign - that’s how I knew I should start Bag Affair.

Silence…

I looked at her again and said “I think you know you want to go ahead with it, but what is this really about?"

She looked up and said “in my very first internship, I had just turned 18, I was sexually assaulted by my director, that I quit work, my studies and couldn’t find the courage to go ahead with anything. But now, everything you said in class resonated so much, that I shouldn’t let them win and keep going”.

• "That experience must’ve been traumatic. Did you report that person?"
• "I went to the police, I was more questioned about my behaviour, what I was wearing, exactly what you hear on TV. I felt defeated and felt that maybe it was my fault. I never spoke about it with my family even when I stopped my studies."

Needless to detail the rest of the conversation.

I’m humbled that she was able to vocalise these thoughts to me. That somehow I was sent her way and she was sent to mine. The course I’m teaching at her school is just about entering new markets. But I know now that’s not just what I teach.

There’s a lot of work to be done in empowering victims of sexual assault and harassement. That till today, perpetrators continue their intimidation and predatory behaviour without any consequence. In every opportunity, we must ensure that we lend these victims an ear as this is not a topic that they easily vocalise, or even want to! The power that teachers have can sometimes be underestimated by teachers themselves.

There’s an Arabic parable that likens teachers, all teachers, to prophets. While I do not necessarily view my students as disciples; I know my job is not only to help them learn new lessons, but to also unlearn many others.

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Taiseer Khalil is the founder of?Open Borders, a consultancy specialised in coaching technological research (PhD) projects into business solutions. Taiseer works closely today with engineering institutions and higher education, as well as various business schools in Brittany and the city of Brest.

She's worked in Saudi Arabia, studied in China, France, & Ireland, and obtained her Cum Laude bachelor’s degree from South Africa while working full time in Saudi Arabia (before online learning was a thing!), and a Master’s degree in International Business from the @Brest Business School. She thus brings forth a unique cultural mix and insight to her work and classes.?

Some of her international marketing & negotiation experiences in renewable energy exports in France, and advertising in Saudi Arabia are published in the academic book?“Business Negotiation” (2014)?by Professor Ga?lle Moal-Ulvoas (De Boeck publishing)

Taiseer also co-created @Bag-Affair (RTFACT Brands) in 2017 with a design-led vision to innovate in the field of handbags (maroquinerie) for working women with practical, sustainable and elegant business bags. Taiseer is also a mother of a special needs child with T1 diabetes, an invisible handicap, reason for which she sold her shares after the diagnosis to dedicate time and pedagogy to living with T1 diabetes.

Today Taiseer's trademark is the convergence of these different professional paths in her projects and classrooms. A special focus in higher education, infusing academic theory with a concrete professional foundation, examples, stories and experiences.?

You can contact Taiseer at?info(@)open-b.com?or visit her website?www.open-b.com