Abuse of power happens when someone uses their status, authority, or leverage to exploit or bully others for their personal gain. We see this happen in our everyday lives, workplaces, relationships, institutional sectors, public sectors, and it goes down to civil pressure and electoral pressure. Over the years, small advantages that were overlooked have grown into a system and culture that's difficult to eradicate. One may say that's how the world works, but it all started with trivializing small abuses and prioritizing money over peace and freedom. Whatever exists today started as a harmful, excusable mistake or misplaced priority and then escalated into what eats away at our nation and personal peace.
In the workplace, a manager demands personal favors or unpaid overtime from employees and threatens them with poor reviews or demotion. Sometimes employees become helpless, needing to pay bills or make a living, so they stay under such conditions. What looks like a one-time favor for overtime soon becomes one of the employee's regular responsibilities, working under the fear of a poor review or termination, especially when the employer knows they pay slightly above average or the employee has little to no choice. So they work under duress, while the employer reaps the gains.
Similarly, a landlord uses housing scarcity to illegally exploit tenants who complain about unsafe living conditions. This scenario happens often in big cities where rent is in high demand and areas around institutions where there is an influx of students seeking houses to rent. They quickly threaten to evict any tenants who make complaints of any kind and sometimes hike the rent fee, knowing people are in desperate need of housing. That's what happens when people in power or authority see need and poverty—they use those vulnerabilities for their personal gain, not minding the welfare of others.
Image generated using Gemini AI
A True Story
I visited a friend in 2023 when I needed a place to go to clear my head. He had graduated that year and was eager for knowledge when he met his current boss for an opportunity to learn under him. He agreed, and they signed a contract stating that the boss would teach him the job on the condition that he would work for him for five years. He was young at the time and didn't think about the consequences; he quickly agreed and started the learning process.
The learning process lasted only a few months, teaching him nothing substantial, as the boss was afraid he might leave once he learned how to do certain things. It didn't bother him until what started as a morning shift only extended to morning-afternoon shifts, then morning-evening shifts, and soon the boss was calling him anytime, even in the middle of the night, to come to work. Weekends were included too. It might seem like that's the worst part, but no.
The boss started involving the boy to do his domestic chores as well. Now the boy, though he has a contract with a government hospital, can't go because the boss threatens him with the contract they signed four years ago. He never expected what started as a harmless contract and favor could become a disaster at this point.
How to Work Together to Hold People Accountable
One of the things to do in holding people accountable is to agree and establish standards. But while doing this, know what's involved and set clear rules of acceptable behavior. When everyone defines clearly what abuse and bullying are, it's easier to address them when they occur.
Another way is to support victims and whistleblowers. When we assume we are not victims and neglect others, the same happens when it comes back to us. Together we should fight against what's wrong, support victims, and deal with perpetrators accordingly without excuse.
Finally, we shouldn't normalize misbehavior no matter how small it seems, because what seems harmless today will soon become a culture that survives for a very long time.