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SEXUAL HARRASSMENT
1. When someone feels uncomfortable because of unwelcome
behavior that
is sexual in nature, that person is experiencing sexual harrassment. It
is against the law in the workplace and in schools in the USA.
2. Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, unnecessary
physical contact, or explicitly sexual commments are some of the elements
of sexual harrassment.
3. When cooperation, benefits, resources or status become dependent upon
submitting to the harrassment, including sexual jokes, pictures,
"friendly"
touching, or more explicitly sexual behavior, then a person is being
harrassed.
4. Sometimes a hostile environment toward one gender may be created,
through the use of jokes, pictures and comments in a way that interferes
with work performance. Even without pressure to perform certain acts, this
also constitutes harrassment.
5. Victims often blame themselves for contributing to the situation, and those
who harrass are quick to blame the victim. This may confuse her or him and
add further emotional stress to the victim's situation.
6. Harrassers may be the person in charge of a situation such as an office, and thus would ordinarily be the person the victim would turn to for protection and
assistance. This makes submitting complaints very complicated. This is
why it is sometimes necessary to go to outside agencies for assistance,
and why many complaints remain unreported.
7. A person who is experiencing harrassment needs to keep a careful record
of what happened: dates, times, circumstances, quotes. Then the person
should consult with a trusted person, giving them the details. (This some-
times reveals a surprising insensitivity on the part of the person consulted.
The victim may want to explore the person's attitudes about sexual har-
rassment before giving any details. ) The person consulted should not
reveal the victim's situation without the permission of the victim. If it is
important, the victim should gain a pledge of confidentiality before giving
details.
8. Most organizations have a formal grievance procedure for sexual harrass-
ment. The victim should get information about this procedure, and follow
its instructions carefully.
9. The victim may wish to consult a lawyer and/or an outside agency that
specializes in sexual harrassment.
10. Harrassment on the job is often about power. Sexual advances on the job
may have more to do with power and less to do with love than all the parties
involved may initially think.
11. Most sexual harrassment involves men harrassing women, but it may also involve men taking advantage of men, women taking advantange of women,
and women taking advantage of men.
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