At the start of summer, the Lithuanian media was awash with headlines about how a theater director set inappropriate conditions for one actress. The man was later charged with sexual harassment.

It all began when 23-year-old actress Erika Račkytė complained to the police about the actions of the head the Jouzas Miltinis Drama Theater, Linas Zaikauskas, claiming that he tried groping and kissing her while holding her face firmly during rehearsal.

According to the actress, these unpleasant experiences were a daily occurrence at the theater – in addition to hints and comments of a sexual nature, the director demanded that she sleep with him in return for the lead role she was given.

Later on, he threatened to ruin her career – if the director’s conditions were not met, he’d fire the actress and make sure that she couldn’t find work elsewhere.

Law enforcement slow to react

However, upon receiving the complaint, the police decided to drop the case. They proposed that Račkytė prosecute the matter privately, since the case lacked "social significance."

This is the second such landmark case in Lithuania. This spring, the Lithuanian Parliament itself was rocked by a sexual harassment scandal when an MP harassed two women who applied to be his assistants.

Alas, just as in the above example, law enforcement was slow to react and wasn’t keen on launching an investigation into the matter.

Very few investigations

The Law on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men and the country’s Criminal Code prohibit sexual harassment, but in practice such cases are rarely investigated.

There was only one investigation into sexual harassment launched in 2015, and another one in 2016. It would seem that Lithuanian law enforcement authorities still don’t treat sexual harassment as a serious violation of human rights.

Burden of proof shifted

However, it looks like changes are on the way – last week, the Parliament of Lithuania abolished private prosecution for sexual harassment cases. Until now, evidence had to be gathered and the matter prosecuted in court by the victims themselves. The amendment shifts the burden of investigation and proof to the authorities.

In the theater story above, when the police refused to take action, the Equal Opportunities Ombudswoman began her own investigation.

Having found sexual harassment to be a flagrant violation of human rights, she issued a warning to the head of the theater and informed the Ministry of Culture of her decision. The director was later fired in response.

Hopefully, his punishment, together with the recent legislative changes, will encourage other victims to come forward about sexual harassment or violence at work.