Category: Sexual Abuse

Abstract

During the past decades there have been many requests to different institutions to acquire access to statistics reports related to female sexual abuse. It is an undeniable fact that violence has a major impact in hundred females lives . However, that kind of violence it comes in different ways and forms, from domestic violence to marital rape. The consequences have a vital role in females lives, but also the violent of their fundamental human rights. Nevertheless, it ensures the pain that they are called to live with as well as stigma . The aim of this systematic review is to highlight the increased percentages of sexual assault which remains dramatically underreported specifically in Greece . Furthermore, to inform that even today they still remain in vulnerable position. As a result, they feel the need to be prevented from any form of sexual abuse or sexual harassment.

Sexual Abuse and Social Isolation

Violence against women is one of the most serious forms of human rights violation agains the gender. According to Stevens (1997), she described sexual abuse as “a mark of disgrace”. Stevens mentioned that some of the symptoms of stigmatization are such as low self – esteem, false – self behavior, and possibly negative feelings about one’s sexual orientation. Psychologists have analysed sexual abuse in successive stages, but they have a sequel. A lot of psychologist have researched the experiences of women who are related to sexual abuse, most of them include in their study the following negative occurrences : obscene phone calls, sexual teasing on the road, rape , sexual abuse of young girls ,seduction and rape by a friend or a person in work in the same environment . According across all rape cases and statistics, in most of the cases the rapists were not strangers, but family members, friends , neighbours. As claimed by, Hawkins ( 2003), “women who stay with the abuse partner because they believe he will change are revictimized until they learn to escape and concentrate on surviral”. These women fail to seek help or accepted it when offered. When it comes to sexual intercourse, sometimes is pleasant and sometimes upleasant. So the victim tends to hope for the pleasant moments which are the only moments she can remember . This leads the victim to endure also the unpleasant sexual experiences that she experiences with her partner and to become a victim, by enhancing the pleasure she sometimes receives from sexual intercourse. Concerning marital rape, this is treated differently in different societies and legal systems. In many countries there is a social perception that there is no rape within the marriage, as sexual intercourse is a duty under the marriage contract. On the other hand, the judicial system, contributes to the silence of rape victims because rape has the lowest rates additional to other crimes. However, the legal recognition of marital rape as a crime, is an important change which was long overdue; the use of relationship status to settle whether a crime has occurred shows the ways in which our attitudes vary depending on the relationship that the victim has with the offender.

The abused women show low self-esteem, underestimate their ability to do anything and any success, question their abilitie. They also believe in all myths about abuse, treat their home in the traditional way, believe in family unity and predetermined stereotypes of women’s role. Furthermore, they accept responsibility for the violent actions of their men, they feel guilty but deny the fear and anger they feel, believe that if the same behavior changes, their partner will change, and when that does not happen, he feels even worse and tries to control the environment of their family. They show passivity towards the social environment but have the power to face their personal environment in order to avoid greater abuse or killing. They have strong responses due to stress, with psychosomatic symptoms, depression, while using sex as a means to maintain their relationships. They usually leave their jobs, and even if they do not give up, they feel guilty about working because they think this is a factor in causing problems in their relationship. Many times they are forced by their partner’s behavior to abandon their careers, as they may be overly suspicious and jealous. Correspondingly, their income is usually managed by the man.

Frequent perception of society and, more importantly, of women who suffer abuse is that the man is the head of the home and they have to do everything they can to be happy and feel stronger than them. In addition, they do everything to avoid their anger, often suffer from physical and psychological inconveniences such as stress, fear, fatigue, back pain, headaches, insomnia, general discomfort, depression, restlessness, suspicion, hiding things from their comrades for not to fight and believe that no one will help them solve their problems other than themselves. The sense of loss of control causes psychological pain to the woman-victim of abuse. In order to reduce the negative feelings experiencing fear, anger, insecurity, despair, it can try to control various external factors to reduce the intensity of violence, suppress its anger, deny or minimize the abuse it suffers. Violence within love affair can happen to anyone. There is no gender, age, social and economic status, educational level, ethnicity or religion of any person. It does not matter whether it is a heterosexual or homosexual relationship. However, the overwhelming majority of victims are women who are abused by their comrades or their spouses. Gradually, the perpetrator, due to his dependence on his victim, his jealousy and his fear of unmasking the problem, succeeds in limiting and eliminating any social activity of the victim. Removing it from his family and friendly environment, he succeeds in increasing his dependence on her and putting it under his absolute control. Meanwhile, additional reasons affect under-reporting in cases such as domestic violence or sexual abuse. According to Artinopoulou, Koufouli, Michael,(2018) “Domestic and sexual violence are crimes with a high dark sigure, since the majority of these crimes remain unreported”. Specifically, victims find it very difficult to believe what they have experience or even take any form of action. The offender removes the right from the woman for any social contact or monitors her contacts with her friends, family and the wider social environment. This can occur even when the couple has separated and the violence extends beyond the woman, to other important persons, comrades or relatives.

Other forms of violence include direct or indirect monitoring of a woman’s personal life, destruction of her property, slander, influence or threats to her employers in order not to prevent or get rid of some work, deprivation of medical care, education and work, and deprivation of her liberty. The subject of the research will be the empirical investigation of the phenomenon of sexual abuse with women victims as well as their social environment. The feasibility of the survey is based on the identification of some key elements regarding the victims of sexual abuse, in particular women, and how they are dealt with by the competent bodies or their social environment. Therefore, the objectives of this research are summarized: the phenomenological approach to sexual abuse, and what is the effect on social exclusion .

REFERENCES

1. Stevens, L. (1997, February 1). Bringing Order to Chaos. Violence Against Women, 3(1) , 27-45. Retrieved from https://sci-hub.tw/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1077801297003001003
2. Hawkins, F. D. (2003). Violent Crime: Assesing Race & Ethnic Differences. Retrieved from https://books.google.gr/books?id=ZlHZpqo7rwEC&pg=PA183&lpg=PA183&dq=lenore+walker+1989&source=bl&ots=yAtqOK-iJU&sig=ACfU3U3pCQgoLgmKiai3DkFGZsuxNbO5dg&hl=el&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwilys-w4ZPhAhWewMQBHS_yDyUQ6AEwB3oECAUQAQ#v=onepage&q=lenore%20walker%201989&f=false
3. Ferro, C., Cermele, J., & Saltzman, A. (2008). Current Perceptions of Marital Rape. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 23(6), 764–779 Retrieved from https://sci-hub.tw/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0886260507313947
4. Artinopoulou,V . Koufouli, A. Michael. I. (2018.) . Toward a victim – centered police response.

Introduction to victim group

Crime can imply many physical, material and psychological harms for a victim (Woods, 2006). A child’s experience of crime is distinguished from that of an adult’s “due to their maturity levels and vulnerability” (Victim Support, 2017). Child grooming is when the perpetrator fosters a relationship with a child to sexually abuse them (NSPCC, 2019). The focus of this policy file will be victims of child sexual abuse (CSA) (under the age of 18 years), in particular, victims of child sex grooming.

The victim of crime has gone from being neglected and marginalised in the criminal justice system (Hoyle and Young 2002 cited in Walklate, 2012) to be the backbone of political discourses on ‘law and order.’ (Walklate, 2012). There are some individuals more deserving of the legitimate status of the ‘ideal victim’ than others (Christie 1986). The ‘ideal victim’ status can be based on the views of; the victim’s vulnerability against the offender, to what extent the victim is blameless, the victim as being unrelated to the offender and the victim as possessing enough power to defend themselves without being a threat to powerful oppositional interests (Christie, 1986). In this policy file, I will argue, the acquirement of the legitimate victim status of child grooming, deserving of help and policy interventionism may be based on the apparent assumptions of the child’s vulnerability and innocence.

The latest official statistics

• 1 in 3 children have been a victim of sexual abuse by an adult and did not notify anyone about this (Radford et al, 2011).
• 2,260 (4.4%) of children in England were under the child protection plan; sexual abuse recorded as the first type of abuse (IICSA, 2018).
• Women were more likely to be victims of sexual abuse by a parent or guardian; 1.5% of the female victims, aged 18-24 experienced this as a child. (Ons.gov.uk, 2016) Bentley et al, 2018
• More than 63,000 incidences of sexual offences against children in 2016/17 were recorded by the police; 54,846 sexual offences were against children under 18.
• 15.5 % of those aged 11- 18 years have received a sexual message or a request for a sexual image, girls were more likely than boys to receive such requests. 23.6% of young people had a stranger trying to contact them online.
• In England recorded offences of sexual grooming increased from 2015-16; 969-1132 sexual grooming offences. In the UK, there has been a general increase in sexual grooming offences since 2010/11.
• More than 9,000 child sexual offences were recorded by the police to be online; rape, sexual assault and grooming make up online crimes against children (NCPCC, 2019).

The statistics emphasise the true extent of victimisation of CSA remains hidden. Most children do not tell anyone that they have been sexually abused. As a consequence, there is a dark figure of unrecorded crimes of CSA. This means the current image of victims is inaccurate as most offences remain not detected (Maguire and Pointing, 1988).

News media coverage

1. Jimmy Saville [image: bsessed with sex: Jimmy Saville] (Rex, 2014)

Violence is newsworthy and emphasised in the media when both a celebrity and an institutional cover-up is involved (Greer, 2017, p.14). Jimmy Saville was newsworthy. This is because he was a celebrated BBC entertainer who sexually abused and groomed 57 girls and women, and 15 boys while working for the BBC (Watson, 2016). There was an institutional failure in which the BBC, hospitals, schools, the police, and prosecutors allowed this to happen in plain sight (Laville, Addley and Halliday, 2013). The BBC was not seen as culpable by a judge because senior managers were not informed (Watson, 2016).

Public outrage is still dependent on the idealised images of childhood as innocence, which is emphasised by the media as such anyone who exploits children’s vulnerability is vilified (Gekoski, Gray and Adler, 2012). This may lead to victim’s experiences being ignored, for instance, the emphasis on Jimmy Saville being an evil paedophile in the media, contributes to the failure in bringing institutions that were responsible for protecting young children (the victims) to account. This is because the media by vilifying Jimmy Saville creates the impression that he is the only individual who should be held responsible. The victim’s plight is again, neglected.

2. R- Kelly [image: Kelly] (Getty Images, 2019)

R&B singer R-Kelly, was able to avoid allegations about him sexually grooming minors for years. Recently he was charged for 10 counts of sexual abuse (Harris and Chiarito, 2019). ‘Surviving R Kelly’, a documentary was released, where victims relayed their experience of being abused and witnessing the sexual abuse of other young women (Mokoena, 2019). The social media response involved backlash against the victims. This was followed up by activists addressing victim blaming (Mokoena, 2019). The victims were mainly black women; many have suggested societies prejudice toward black women has allowed R-Kelly to keep his career (Bain, 2019). The case emphasises there are racial disparities in regard to innocence; a black girl’s innocence is undermined. More so, victims were seen as responsible; as precipitators of their own victimisation, and this in effect, deflecting blame from the offender (O’Connell, 2008), R-Kelly. There is a long way to go in uncovering the scale of the problem of child sexual grooming because of a culture in which victims are blamed and disbelieved.

3. Shamima Begum [image: hamima Begum told The Sunday Telegraph she wishes she’d found a different way to co] (ITV News, 2019)

There was a consensus that Shamima Begum was a victim, an innocent child who had been brainwashed and groomed online when she left the UK to join the Islamic state at 15 years old (Segalov, 2019). Recently, she was brought to public attention in the media as nine months pregnant in a Syrian refugee camp ( Segalov, 2019). There was controversy concerning whether she should be able to return to the UK, her citizenship was revoked by the home secretary in the UK, and her newborn son died later in the Syrian refugee camp (Chulov, Parveen and Rasool, 2019). The response to Shamima wanting to return was disapproval, she had been seen as an undeserving victim, despite being a victim of child sexual grooming.

“Othering’ reduces devalued groups such as immigrants to outcast reified creatures who share nothing in common with the common mass of the population who may serve as scapegoats for collective ills.” (Rock, 2010, p.466). Christie, (1886) describes one of the characteristics of suitable enemies are they are seen as dangerous and inhumane. The media could be seen to propagate the othering process by perpetuation of words like “Radicalised” (Rodger, 2019), “showing no remorse” (Rodger, 2019), “Jihadi bride” (Dunn and Wells, 2019), her baby labelled as a “Jihadi baby” (Binns, 2019). She is no longer seen as a vulnerable child who was groomed online by terrorist groups, she is now an enemy. The media portrayal can be seen to be dissecting her trauma, vilifying her and stripping her of any humanity. Violence is interpreted to be inherent in the baby due to the image of Shamima, the mother as “radicalised.” Her lack of remorse is seen as to why her citizenship should be revoked, her racialized essence can be seen to make her less of a victim and making her stateless can be seen as Britain’s way of not dealing with its complicity in its violence e.g. terrorism. The context in which way the victim is lived is ignored. The identification of crime has been left for last, while a system of punishment is prioritised and prosecution second (Kapoor, 2018).

Empirical Research

How safe are our children?

(Bentley et al, 2018).

There has been progress in the recording of sexual offences by the police and more victims coming forward. There has also been rapid development in the online world which has given predators more access to children. This has contributed to an increase in CSA in the UK. Police are able to charge adults now for sending sexual messages to children; the Government has decided to also implement laws to protect children online. Children who have been abused online self-harm, self-blame, experience depression, and psychological trauma. The NSPCC has been advocating for legislation which includes; 1. Social media firms to be obligated to have a consistent set of minimum safeguarding standards, 2. the introduction of child dedicated accounts with default safety settings, 3. for social networks and platforms to be held accountable, by ensuring they regularly report how they keep children safe, 4.ensuring such platforms are actively engaging in preventing exposure to illegal content and behaviour, and to be active in identifying illegal behaviour on their sites, such as grooming. The report identifies the public support; improving the skills of parents, relationships between parents and their children and the provision of good health services for parents as possible solutions to prevent abuse.

Measuring the scale and changing nature of child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation

(Kelly and Karsna, 2018)

The seriousness of child sex abuse and grooming online is evident; the referrals the National Crime Agency received from internet service providers increased from around 400 per month in 2010 to 4,075 in 2016 (National Police Chiefs’ Council, 2017 cited in Kelly and Karsna, 2018). The perpetrator of abuse is overwhelmingly male and girls and women are overwhelmingly the victims. The current information available on victims do not consistently differentiate between the profiles of the victim’s, other than on the basis of their sex. The understanding of the relationship between offender and victim and the context of their abuse is as a result weak. To improve data on child victims, it is proposed the government fund the publishing of child sexual abuse studies, continue to encourage organisations who conduct similar surveys to maintain a good relationship and the exchange of data between academics and other data holders. Also, to bring together methodologists who will study possible enhancements in survey questions which might aid differentiation between child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation, while also engaging young people in the discussion.

Victim support policy statement — children and young people

(Victim support, 2017)

Young people are fearful of the consequences of reporting a crime and unsure on how to report a crime while teachers or professionals who children are more likely to tell lack confidence. Teachers and other professional bodies to be trained to effectively identify children at risk as well as age-appropriate education concerning these issues has been proposed to counteract this. Vulnerable victims are denied pre-trial therapy which aids psychological support. In response victim support (2017) propose, The NHS and criminal justice agencies work together to provide this. The criminal injuries compensation scheme suggests sexual assault is a crime when a person did not consent. Despite the law stating sexual assault against children under the age of 16 is automatically criminal. This has led to children being denied compensation on such grounds. The scheme denies victims compensation if they have a criminal record despite victims of CSA being often from troubled backgrounds as a result, being more likely to have a criminal record before the abuse. More so, being abused will make them more likely to commit an offence under the force of abuser or as a reaction to the abuse. In some cases, victim’s compensation has been reduced on such grounds, this causing up to an 80% reduction in compensation.

The scale of child sexual abuse in England and Wales.

(ICSA, 2019)

There are barriers for victims of CSA; cost, a limited number of solicitors to take up their cases thus there should be assistance to help them bring a claim. The language used by society was highlighted as damaging to victims causing victims to self-blame. In response, the inquiry proposes the government support a culture change. The Inquiry proposes the DBS should ‒ automatically bar the professional concerned from working with children to protect children from abuse.

Grooming child victims into sexual abuse: a psychometric analysis of survivors’ experiences.

(Wolf, Linn and Pruitt, 2018)

There are no other research methodologies that analyse grooming experienced by survivors in a reliable and valid way. This study analysed the ‘psychometric properties of the Grooming subscale of the Computer Assisted Maltreatment Inventory (CAMI) in a sample of adult survivors of child sexual abuse’ (Wolf, Linn and Pruitt, 2018, p. 215). The most common ways perpetrators made sure that the child did not reveal the abuse was to tell the child to keep it a secret, tell them they were playing a game and use their authority to convince them to obey. Measures which can accurately assess grooming can help victims by contributing to trying to understand the behaviours of those who perpetrate grooming. This can help prevent abuse and help develop reform treatment efforts for survivors. It can analyse the occurrence of grooming amongst survivors and be used as a therapeutic tool to use in discussion with clients, as a way of discussing feelings about the process of victimisation.

Recommendations

Child-Centred Approach

Young people are fearful of the consequences of reporting a crime (Victim support, 2017). A multi-agency approach should be adopted; social services, police, schools and different agencies working together to protect young children alongside a child-centred approach – whereby the child’s safety and needs are prioritised. Different agencies, education media police and communities should work together to ensure they are engaged in providing this and there should be guidance for professionals on how to support victims of child sexual grooming. This ensures that there are services at hand to support young people. Young people should also be educated about the dangers of grooming/ online grooming and about the services available to them for support.

Victim Blaming Should Be Challenged Across Society- There Should Be A More Victim-Centred Approach By The CJA. Public opinion, media and fear should not accelerate what should happen to victims. Media exposure can delegitimize the experiences of victims, and this can deny victims a fair trial. The victim’s participation should be looked at to understand why the crime did happen (Fattah 1991 cited in O’Connell, 2008), with the purpose to prevent victimisation rather than to place blame on victims (O’connell, 2008). CSA should not be sensationalised, the correct language and a code of conduct should be adopted by the media when showing such offences. CSA victims are denied compensation on the basis they “consented”. The current guidelines should be revisited to ensure victims are given the right support.

More Research On Victims- There remains an unknown figure of CSA victims in the official statistics. Victims of one crime are more likely to be victims of other crimes (Maguire and Pointing, 1988)- child sexual grooming can persist into other forms of victimisation adding to this figure. The government should provide funding to aid research on victims or provide support lines for victims which will allow them to disclose information. Methodologies that analyse grooming experienced by survivors by trying to understand the behaviours of grooming should be encouraged as this can help develop strong support mechanisms for victims as well as help identify preventative measures of child sexual grooming (Wolf, Linn and Pruitt, 2018). The statistics indicate females are more likely to be victims of this abuse, the “ideal victim” is also constructed as female however, both boys and girls can be victims of child sexual grooming. In regard to the dark figure of crime, there should be a de-emphasis on the victims as female and the offenders as male, rather there should be focus that victims and offenders can be both male and female; perhaps this will make victims who do not fit the “ideal victim” more likely to report their experience.

Funding- There have been cuts to early preventative intervention schemes which are vital to protect young children and to support those in professional positions to support those at risk and victims. Funding should be provided to support those who work on the ground to protect young children e.g. social care, teachers.

Child Protection Services; There Should Be A Different Department?

The psychological and physical harms should be considered by policymakers while having equal concern for the impact of crime and as the well-being of victims (Evans and Forsyth (2004) cited in Woods, 2006). If a victim of child sexual grooming proceeds to commit a crime as they are more likely to do so under coercion, they may be seen as a victim offender. There should be a different department which provides support in helping young people come to terms with their abuse, rather than punishing them. The relationship between victim and offender should be explored to understand its causes in order to prevent its recurrence.

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34. Woods, J., 2006. Searching for the Victim in the General Sociological Literature on Crime. International Review of Victimology, 13(2), pp.201-219.

Did you know according to a survey of the United Nation one-in-three women experience physical and sexual abuse?(United Nation). Sexual harassment can be defined as a heinous act characterized by the forming of unwelcome sexual advances or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature in a social situation or workplace (Edlan, 2017). Although there are many strict laws against sexual harassment, 70% of victims of sexual harassment didn’t report it. Major causes behind this heinous act are- have been socialized to suffer in silence, have been threatening by harassers, have been ignored etc. that is badly impacts not only mental health issues and physical problems to victims but also has negative impacts on society and economic states as well.

Firstly, if a woman is sexually or physically harassed like rape, usually she does not report because of being threatened by harasser or having fear to be blamed by this patriarchal society which is the major cause of the expansion of sexual harassment. It is a historical practice regarding rape cases to blame women by telling them that women “invited” the rape by their dress. According to a report of 2019 of Mahila Parishad, 731 women were ravished, 117 women were sexually assaulted, 276 women were murdered in a half-year in Bangladesh (731 women raped in 6 months, 2019). It has a bad impact both physically and mentally on victims. Victims suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which influences them suicidal thoughts or attempts. Victims also suffer from many sexual diseases. So, it has a bad impact both physically and mentally on victims (Effects of Sexual Assault and Rape, 2019).

Secondly, victims of sexual harassment either verbal or non-verbal usually ignored when they report against harassers and sometimes they keep silent for fear of losing jobs. For example, Jenna Ries, an employee of McDonaald restaurant who suffered sexual harassment for a long time. She reported many times to the manager but he didn’t take any action. She said, “They frequently grabbed my body parts, including my crotch, breasts, and buttocks. I was constantly in fear of losing my job” (Werner, 2019). Sometimes it made victims to quit their jobs. Consequently, decreasing productivity is very common in workplaces with high rates of sexual harassment. So, it has bad impacts on the economy of a country as well.

Thirdly, most of the victims never speak up because of our patriarchal society and its narrow-minded believes which play a vital role to the expansion of sexual harassment. It is very traditional that girls are taught to keep silent and to overlook bad behaviour by males (Stop Violence Against Women, 2018). According to a survey 77% of women are experienced verbal sexual harassment like whistled at or getting unwanted comments of a sexual nature (Fung, 2018). This made women to stay at home instead of going outside.

In conclusion, sexual harassment can be said as unwanted conduct that creates a toxic environment. It can have emotional, psychological and physical effects on victims. It also affects on the economy of a country as well. So, it should be stopped. Women deserve an environment which is free from harmful harassment. In the workplace, all should be expected to behave like professionals.

Psychological Effects of Harassment

Sexual Harassment is globally perceived to be an offensive act aimed at violating the fundamental human right of women and also violating their dignity. This negative trend has a very adverse effect when it occurs within an organizational setting. This is because apart from the physical and psychological trauma it exposes the victims to, their productivity are greatly affected.[1]

Sexual harassment in the workplace is nothing new, but the issue is seeing a tidal wave of recognition and attention as celebrities, co-workers and others are accused of sexual misconduct. Through their stories, we’ve learned that sexual harassment has serious after effects on its victims, and can cause not only mental health issues but physical effects as well.

Dr. Colleen Cullen, a licensed clinical psychologist, notes that for victims of sexual harassment, the most common diagnoses are depression, anxiety, and even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).[2]

Unwanted sexual advances undermine women’s sense of authenticity. But the mental health consequences for women can also be dire. Not only can they experience high stress and often depression, but their idea of selfhood can also be undermined. Women’s sense of authenticity is often damaged as they try to cope with unwanted sexual advances. They must change their behavior to try to minimize such advances.

Women face a dilemma that few men ever have to confront. While being urged to be authentic, to be true to the person they really are, to be open and honest, women also confront the need to disassemble, hide, and pretend. Unfortunately, too often the norms in the workplace have been that powerful men are allowed to be predatory and get away with bad behavior.

If women protest, they are grilled about their own actions. What were you wearing? What were you drinking? Why did you wait to come forward? If women try to just “grin and bear it,” they not only face negative consequences, but they also lose out on the mental health benefits of being authentic.[3]

The media and entertainment industries have been the most visible targets of the movement against sexual harassment. But this problem also exists in other industries.

“Over 50% of the 869 founders who took the survey have been or know someone who’s been sexually harassed in the workplace. Unfortunately and unsurprisingly, the results to this question were extremely gendered — 78% of female founders said they’ve been sexually harassed or know someone who’s been sexually harassed, compared to 48% of male founders.

They also split on public perception of the issue. 70% of female founders said sexual harassment in the industry is still underreported vs. 35% of male founders. And men were 4 times more likely than women to say the media’s overblown the issue (22% vs. 5%).”

Women trying to find the money for startups are especially vulnerable, because men hold the purse strings, and without their money, nothing happens.

Such women told CNN horror stories. One woman looking for funds from a German investor said she got an email from the man saying how attractive he thought she was. He added, “I will not leave Berlin until I have sex with you. Deal?” Another woman in the U.S. was meeting with a potential investor and remembers, “I felt my leg being grabbed under the table and I thought, ‘Holy Moley, this is real.’”

The voices in the many MeToo hashtags underscore the heavy price women pay for compromising their authenticity in order to keep their jobs, build their careers, and pay the bills.

Joan Cook, a psychologist and associate professor at Yale University, says that survivors are often scared or angry, “but keep their mouths shut, in fear of negative consequences such as not being believed.’ However, “Keeping quiet doesn’t make the degradation go away. For many years and decades, survivors live in silence and disgrace, thinking they were the only ones. That there was something terribly unique about them that caused this to occur, that they somehow brought it on themselves; they stew in a spiral of self-loathing.” Nor does the sense of being inauthentic easily disappear.

Many victims tell similar stories of having to forego their authenticity as they put on a smile and deal with unwanted sexual advances. And powerful men can often just pay off women who complain, reaching agreements that gag their female victims.[4]

Kathryn Minshew, the founder of the career website The Muse, told The New Yorker about her encounter with an investor when she tried to raise money for the site.

“We went to sit, and the next thing I knew he was so close to me.” She wound up wedged between the arm of a sofa and the man as he leaned into her. She left, rattled and knowing her behavior had not represented her authentic self. “It’s funny, because I think if you had asked me, ‘What would you do in that situation?’ I would have said that I would have been so much more badass and assertive,” she said. “But then it happened…”

The question remains: Will the rash of media stories that have led to the firing or resignation of powerful men be just a flash in the pan—especially in the Tech World?

One problem is that few women hold the top jobs in companies. Melinda Gates, the co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, says that “the asymmetry of power is ripe for abuse.”

But perhaps the chorus of voices from the #MeToo movement is having an effect. The recent Uber sexual harassment scandal that led the CEO to resign caused financial upheaval for the firm. Patrick Quinlan, CEO of the analytics company Convercent told that he has seen a change in the way tech companies are facing the issue. Up until the recent past, “companies wanted to have the ostrich view of ethics, which is, ‘If I don’t hear it and see it, it’s not happening,’” he says. “A big change we have seen is that companies realize you’re much better off identifying the problem and working to solve it. That evolution is happening fast.”

This is an encouraging first step, but will circumstances change so that women no longer have to pay an outsized price in terms of their mental health and their sense of authenticity? Will the #MeToo hashtags become a thing of the past?

The answer, at present, is still unknown.[5]

Work Ethics and Harassment

Workplace harassment is belittling or threatening behavior directed at an individual worker or a group of workers.

Recently, matters of workplace harassmenthave gained interest among practitioners and researchers as it is becoming one of the most sensitive areas of effective workplace management because a significant source of work stress is associated with aggressive behaviors at the workplace. In Asian countries, workplace harassment is one of the poorly attended issues by managers in organizations. However, it attracted lots of attention from researchers and governments since the 1980s. Under occupational health and safety laws around the world, workplace harassment and workplace bullying are identified as being core psychosocial hazards. Overbearing supervision, constant criticism, and blocking promotions are all considered workplace harassment.[6]

Sexual harassment constitutes acts such as unwelcome sexual advances which affects an individual’s employment. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reports that in the financial year 2008, the agency received sexual harassment charges totaling to 13,867. Plaintiffs recovered up to $47.4 million of monetary claims. The ethical implications of sexual harassment are concerned with questions of what is acceptable and unacceptable within the workplace from the perspective of both women and men.

The acts of one perpetrator of sexual harassment can create sexually hostile environment. This means that both female and male employees will be wary of losing their jobs unless they give in to sexual advances by employers or managers. Employees who perpetrate sexual harassment against others also put indirect pressure on others to either leave the job, to report their acts or to tolerate these acts. Adverse sexual harassment such as discrimination and sexual favoritism can demoralize otherwise hardworking employees.[7]

Although interest in business ethics has rapidly increased, little attention has been drawn to the relationship between ethics and sexual harassment. While most companies have addressed the problem of sexual harassment at the organizational level with corporate codes of ethics or sexual harassment policies, no research has examined the ethical ideology of individual employees.[8]

Mental Health Effects

Sexual assault can have a variety of short and long-term effects on a victim’s mental health. Many survivors report flashbacks of their assault, and feelings of shame, isolation, shock, confusion, and guilt. People who were victims of rape or sexual assault are at an increased risk for developing depression, PTSD, Substance Use Disorders, Eating Disorders, Anxiety.

Having a previous history of being a victim and negative reactions from family, friends, and professionals worsen the impact of sexual violence on mental health. Because sexual trauma can have such a serious impact on mental health, it’s important that services and supports consider and address the trauma that many individuals have experienced. If you have concerns about your mental health, take a mental health screen.[9]

For women in midlife, exposure to sexual harassment and sexual assault is widespread and associated with higher blood pressure (BP, harassment), poorer mental health (assault), and poorer sleep (both), according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Rebecca C. Thurston, PhD, a board member of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS), and associates investigated the relationship between the history of sexual harassment and sexual assault, and BP, depressed mood, anxiety, and quality of sleep among midlife women.

A total of 304 nonsmoking women aged 40 to 60 years (mean age, 54 years) with no history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) underwent physical analysis including BP, height, and weight measurement, as well as medical history assessment. A psychosocial questionnaire was included to record workplace sexual harassment, sexual assault, depression, anxiety, and sleep quality. Sexual harassment was identified as experiencing physical or verbal sexual harassment in the workplace, and sexual assault was identified as unwanted sexual contact.

Of the cohort, 19% of women (n=58) reported having experienced sexual harassment at work, and 22% of women (n=67) reported a history of sexual assault.

For women who were not taking antihypertensive medications, the odds of stage 1 or 2 hypertension were significantly greater for sexual harassment and odds of clinically poor sleep were also associated with sexual harassment. Sexual assault was significantly associated with greater odds of clinically increased depressive symptoms, anxiety, and poor sleep.[10]

Emotional Side Effects of Harassment

Sexual violence can have psychological, emotional, and physical effects on a survivor. These effects aren’t always easy to deal with, but with the right help and support they can be managed. Learning more can help you find the best form of care to begin the healing process.

Depression

Depression is a mood disorder that occurs when feelings associated with sadness and hopelessness continue for long periods of time and interrupt regular thought patterns. It can affect your behavior and your relationship with other people. Depression doesn’t discriminate—it can affect anyone of any age, gender, race, ethnicity, or religion. In 2012, an estimated 16 million adults experienced depression, according to the NIH.

It’s normal for survivors to have feelings of sadness, unhappiness, and hopelessness. If these feelings persist for an extended period of time, it may be an indicator of depression. Depression is not a sign of weakness and it’s not something you should be expected to “snap out of.” It’s a serious mental health condition and survivors can often benefit from the help of a professional.

Flashback

A flashback is when memories of a past trauma feel as if they are taking place in the current moment. That means it’s possible to feel like the experience of sexual violence is happening all over again. During a flashback, it can be difficult to connect with reality. It may even feel like the perpetrator is physically present.

Flashbacks may seem random at first. They can be triggered by fairly ordinary experiences connected with the senses, like the smell of someone’s odor or a particular tone of voice. It’s a normal response to this kind of trauma, and there are steps you can take to help manage the stress of a flashback.[11]

Self-Harm

Deliberate self-harm, or self-injury, is when a person inflicts physical harm on himself or herself, usually in secret.

Substance Abuse

If you are concerned that you’re using substances in a way that could be harmful to your health or have concerns for someone you care about, consider learning more about the warning signs and places to find support.[12]

Eating Disorders

Sexual violence can affect survivors in many ways, including perceptions of the body and feelings of control.

Sleep Disorders

Symptoms of sleep disorders can include trouble falling or staying asleep, sleeping at unusual times of day, or sleeping for longer or shorter than usual.

Suicide

Suicide is preventable and suicidal thoughts aren’t permanent. If you are thinking about suicide, there are resources to give you the support you need to get through this tough time.

Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

Many perpetrators of sexual abuse are in a position of trust or responsible for the child’s care, such as a family member, teacher, clergy member, or coach.[13]

Nowadays, the tremendous rise of the film industry and the film industry is growing in a way that we cannot imagine. However, problems come along with the resplendence. “Metoo” movement was founded in 2006 to help victims of sexual violence. It is an international and large group hold against sexual abuse. Sexual harassment in the film industry has always been existed but came to society’s attention until lately. It happens in well-known actors, actresses especially, and minors as well.

To start with, sexual abuse not only happens in unknown actresses but also well-known actresses. An article in the New York Times claims that “ The actresses Jennifer Lawrence, Reese Witherspoon, and Molly Ringwald this week joined a growing chorus of women sharing their own stories of sexual harassment and assault in the industry.” (Chokshi) These three actresses are all experienced and famous for their excellent acting skills. Jennifer Lawrence, Reese Witherspoon, and Elle Woods have been outspoken about sexual harassment scandals. “I’m really terrified I’m destroying my career right now. I wonder if people will still see me as an actress, and want to work with knowing I have these opinions.” (Buckley) by the New York Times. Who can imagine these successful female figures had been sexually harassed in the early years. It is unbelievable when people realize what their favorite actresses had been through and it seems like there are more victims who have not spoken up yet.

It has never been easy to tell someone what happened to oneself, especially for actresses, they are public figures and people are watching. Furthermore, it always takes victims for years to speak for themselves. Roman Polanski, a world famous director and a molester. He had been sexual assault numbers of women in the film industry from the 70s. The New York Times states that “The woman, who was identified only as Robin, held a news conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday with the attorney Gloria Allred. She said that Mr. Polanski “sexually victimized” her in 1973 when she was 16. She is now 59.” (Haigney) It took Robin 44 years to speak for herself, in her words, “I am speaking out now so that Samantha and the world will know that she is not the only minor Roman Polanski victimized”. After she knew there were possibilities that Roman Polanski’s cases may be dropped due to the fact that he has not been in the U.S. for years, Robin was champed with rage. However, if there was not a woman who reveals what Roman Polanski did to her first, will anyone speak up about what he did? Although it took victims for years to charge him, at least it is a good start.

In the film industry, especially Hollywood, sexual abuse not only exists in adults but also in minors. It is heartbreaking, but it is the truth. “The British police are investigating more than 1,400 people, among them 261 high-profile figures, including celebrities and politicians, who face accusations of child abuse in the past, according to a report released Wednesday.” (Bilefsky)

Due to this survey, people can imagine there are thousands of people who were in the film industry who had been sexually assaulted as a child by people of public prominence. With the passage of time, the progress of society, sexual abuse have been paid attention by more and more people. There is a documentary about child actors were sexually assaulted in the film industry, called “Open Secrets” directed by Amy Berg. According to the New York Times, “The victims and their parents defy the stereotype of hard-driving dream-seekers. They come across as merely trusting, which led them to rely on those who promised successful careers. Such faith was exploited by men who later turned out to be predators.” (Jaworowski) People should encourage this kind of documentary because till now, “Open Secrets” are still influential, especially when the victims tell their own experiences.

Sexual abuse in the film industry has always been there. It often happens in famous actresses, and it took years for victims to speak out. Furthermore, child actors are suffered from it too. It is a good sign that more and more sexual abuse cases in the film industry came into the public eye by different means and it indicates people began to realize the seriousness of the incident. For example, celebrities in Hollywood like Emma Stone, Selena Gomez and so on launched an initiative to fight sexual harassment and assault called “Time’s up”. This campaign has more than 300 actresses, writers, and directors who have donated for its legal defense fund. There will be fewer people who attempt to take advantage of their positions and abuse women. As a film student, I am glad to see celebrities join the “MeToo” movement and sexual abuse in the film industry have caught public attention.

The sociocultural theory is largely feminist in orientation and thus, examines the wider social and political context within which sexual harassment is created and occurs. The theory attributes sexual harassment as a logical consequence of the gender inequality and sexism that already exists in society (Gutek, 1985; Thomas & Kitzinger, 1997). Thus, drawing on the feminist perspective, the theorists argue that, sexual harassment, regardless of its form, is linked to the sexist male ideology of male dominance and male superiority (Stockdale, 1993; Matchen & DeSouza, 2000) To them, the phenomenon exists not only because of the views of women as the inferior sex but also sexual harassment serves to maintain the already existing gender stratification by emphasizing sex role expectations (Malovich & Stake, 1990; Schacht & Atchison, 1993; Tangri & Hayes, 1997). Adding to that, MacKinnon (1979) maintained that women’s inferior position in the workplace and society, in general, is not only a consequence but also a cause of sexual harassment. More so, Tangri et al. (1982) posit that sexual harassment serves to manage the male–female interactions according to accepted sex status norms, and therefore, serves to maintain male dominance occupationally, by intimidating, and discouraging women from work. 

The extension of male dominance in society includes educational institutions, where the phenomenon is thriving (Farley, 1978; MacKinnon, 1979). Members of these institutions would therefore carry over their already existing gender roles, beliefs, and stereotypes into the workplace. Men and women are therefore socialized in such a manner that stereotyped interactions occur and are expected to occur; men are expected to be aggressive and dominant, and females are expected to be passive and accepting (Gruber & Bjorn, 1986). Society, therefore, according to Tangri et al. (1982), rewards males for aggressive and domineering sexual behaviors and females for passivity and acquiescence. Thus, members of each sex are socialized to play their respective and complementary roles. Also, because women, more than men, are taught to seek self-worth in the evaluation of others, particularly men (Bardwick, 1971), they are predisposed to try to interpret male attention as flattery, hence making them less likely to define unwanted attention as harassment. Their training to be sexually attractive, to be social facilitators and avoids conflict, to not trust their own judgment about what happens to them, and to feel responsible for their own victimization contributes to their vulnerability to sexual harassment (Tangri et al., 1982). Therefore, according to the theory, men believe that their behaviors are justified whereas women blame themselves for being victimized (Vaux, 1993). 

Sexual harassment, hence, is viewed as an inevitable consequence of cultural experiences (Whaley & Tucker, 1998), therefore, would apply to many different settings including educational institutions (Barak, Pitterman, & Yitzhaki., 1995). A main strength of the sociocultural theory has been the logical synthesis of gender issues, patriarchy, and dominance toward an explanation of sexual harassment. Furthermore, feminists’ focus on gender inequality in the workplace has often been credited with bringing the issue of sexual harassment to light (Thomas & Kitzinger, 1997); thus, opening up new avenues of inquiry for researchers in other areas such as the lecturer-student relationship within the educational institutions. Moreover, there does appear to be some supporting evidence for feminist sociocultural explanations of sexual harassment. For example, prevalence studies show that the majority of perpetrators are male, and other studies also show that harassment is more predominant in male-dominated workforces (Tangri et al., 1982; LaFontaine & Tredeau, 1986; Niebuhr & Boyles, 1991; Gruber, 1992; Brown, 1998; European Commission, 1998). The approach of sociocultural explanations of sexual harassment, however, appears to be over-inclusive and simplistic, that is, a lack of explanatory depth. Gender role socialization has evolved and expanded over time, to include more behaviors than the stereotyped expected gender behaviors, thus permitting more infusions of different behaviors to be accepted as normal for each gender (Bem, 1983). This, however, has not been accompanied by any measurable decrease in the phenomenon of sexual harassment. In addition, even though sexual harassment is a frequent phenomenon in society, it is not a normative behavior for men. Most men do not sexually harass, and the predominant nature of the feminist sociocultural theory does not provide a sufficient explanation as to why this is the case. Hence, the theory lacks internal coherence and empirical adequacy. Nevertheless, in the face of these drawbacks, the sociocultural theory helps to explain the phenomenon of sexual harassment from a broader and cultural point of view.  

Introduction

First of all, the background of the simulation is about the medium-sized organization, which has roughly 600 staff with completely no increase in the growth of the development rate in the human resource division. Yet, this firm has undergone significant expansion in the past few years. The chief executive officer (CEO) has assigned us to get the Human Resources Department organized and build a strong human resource function. Being the Director of this Human resource team, each decision to be completed in this game requires parallel efforts, whereas the human resource concepts and practices are also combined in this simulation, thus several challenges were confronted. In this essay, sexual harassment is the special incident that I intend to choose it. Hence, the objective of this article is to examine the sexual harassment that occurred in this simulation by illustrating its benefits and risks, as well as the decision that our team has made to improve such a situation. Further, the outcome of such a decision will be also discussed for a few reasons.

The trend of Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is identified as discrimination in which the verbal or physical act of a sexual nature while performed in recruitment or in the workplace by a top manager or employee, customer, or client of a working unit. It is unacceptable conduct that the individual receiving it with the purpose of violating one’s dignity, in particular when creating an intimidating, degrading, humiliating, offensive, or unbearable hostile environment (McGolgan 2004). According to a survey conducted by the Commission of Australian Equal Opportunity in 2004, there were 18% of respondents aged between 18 and 64 years said that they had experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. With respect to those who experienced sexual harassment, 62% faced physically harassed and less than 37 % were likely to report the mistreatment (ILO 1988). This research also demonstrated that both men and women would experience sexual harassment at work. Yet, it is most commonly experienced by women and especially those who are financially dependent, single, young, divorced, or with migrant status, whereas, for men, the most harassed are the member of ethnic or racial minorities and especially young. Therefore, policies and procedures should be implemented by the employer to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, in order to maintain a positive workplace environment.

Zero-tolerance Policy to Address Sexual Harassment

As the human resource director, regardless of whether the organization is a large-scale firm or small business, every employer has a responsibility to take steps for preventing sexual harassment in the company. Effective workplace measures require a visible and proactive stance by organizational leaders against sexual harassment (Gruber 1998). It is important for employers and management to make clear to every staff and subordinates to know that sexual harassment is unacceptable in the workplace, so as to prevent sexual harassment. This can be done by implementing a clear sexual harassment policy by communicating it to each workplace worker and making sure that they are thoroughly understood about it. +(Last 3 years ago…in case) Yet, a zero-tolerance is being taken by our team during the simulation with taking proactive steps for cultivating this policy to make the commitment of our organization more visible. At first, Zero-tolerance has been defined as a broad range of strict, inflexible organizational and governmental institutional policies prohibiting unlawful sexual harassment, discrimination, or retaliation in any form. Anyone who violates the zero-tolerance policy will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, which may be terminated or dismissed immediately (Henault 2001).

Benefits of zero-tolerance policy to organizations and employees

Creating a culture of respect and accountability in the organization which will not tolerate sexual harassment in any form, can bring benefits to both organization and its employees. Organizations with establishing a clear intolerance for sexual harassment, well-defined policy and procedures, as well as transparently implemented this practice can reduce the likelihood of sexual harassment behaviors (Chelsea, Piers & Kibeom 2007). When the best interest of the employer is to create a work environment that discourages sexual harassment in the workplace by implementing a zero-tolerance policy, a harmonious work environment can be established. Meanwhile, the productivity of the organization will be increased as well, and the absenteeism as well as turnover will be reduced, due to the proper intervention or action taken promptly by the employer to prevent and address harassment. Conversely, it will incredibly demoralizing to the employees if the complaints of sexual harassment in the workplace are not taken seriously and proper measures are not taken (Bowling & Beehr 2006). This, in turn, leads to the high psychological stress of the employee and results in lower productivity, increase absenteeism, and facilitates high turnover. Thus, organizations that exhort to develop zero-tolerance sexual harassment policies can protect themselves from liability as well as increase the loyalty of the employees to the firm while maintaining a safe, fairer, and disciplined working environment.

Besides the benefits to the organization of taking zero-tolerance, there are also benefits to the employees. According to the Commission of the Australis Human Rights, there are only 17% of the sexual harassment victims report and it means that there are 83 %of incidents are unnoticed by the supervisors or managers. Zero-tolerance is an effective tool for minimizing the cases of sexual harassment in the workplace by taking claims seriously and protecting complaints from retaliation, as well as punishing the perpetrators. Creating an organizational climate that is intolerant of sexual harassment, can encourage our employees to report sexual harassment as well as support the individuals who report it (Mindy et al. 2002 ). In other words, prompting a culture that allows space for support and understanding through a zero-tolerance policy, is in terms of creating a workplace environment that empowers workers, creates a sense of psychological safety, fosters respect as well as encourages resiliency when negative events occur. Certainly, the adoption of zero-tolerance for sexual harassment indicating the attitude of corporate that any complaints will be dealt with equitably and swiftly (Stockdale et al. 2004), helps foster the sense of psychological safety of the employees, in order to increase job satisfaction of the staff while decreasing the grievance of the workers in the firm (Edmondson 1999). Therefore, implementing zero-tolerance through the organization’s commitment to have a safe working environment for the employees, enable the workers to work with dignity and integrity.

Costs to organizations (Employer)and employees

On the contrary, if the zero-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment is not reinforced in the firm, it may increase the negative impacts of sexual harassment on both organization and the employee in the workplace. In fact, the adverse consequences for victims of sexual harassment would translate into a low-productive work environment. The cost to the firm also encompassed the increase in turnover and absenteeism, fewer individuals and group productivity, while losing the managerial time to investigate the complaints and legal expenses which comprised the litigation costs and compensation to victims (Willness, Steel & Lee 2007). On the other hand, the costs to the employees would have a wide range of negative outcomes as well. Undoubtedly, the productivity and pay of victims of sexual harassment are expected to be lower if sexual harassment induces turnover, increases the rate of absenteeism, and the work time is generally being wasted because the workers try to avoid interacting with harassers. Meanwhile, the psychological and physical health of the employees would be worse by the job insecurity, which may result in lowing job satisfaction as well as less commitment to the organization. Even, the victims may have lower earnings due to the workplace sexual harassment reduces worker productivity (Hersch 2011). Under such negative working conditions, the victims may face a high risk of being physically or mentally injured which may ultimately be costly to both the victims and the firm to eliminate.

The most important reason to consider a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment

As our company noted that there are still a few incidents of sexual harassment over the last year, even though our organization hired an outside training consultant to present a three-hour program to all employees on the policy. Yet, it is difficult to conduct sexual harassment training due to the lack of standards defining specific behaviors of sexual harassment (Keyton 1996). Notably, some recent research illustrated that most of the sexual harassment training is only effective in improving the knowledge of employees about sexual harassment, but not necessarily changing their behaviors (Burke & Cooper 2013). Indeed, training may offer a level of legal protection, but it cannot assure that the policy and procedure would be translated into changed behavior (Hill& Silver 2005). On the contrary, zero tolerance is showing great promise for minimizing the incident of sexual harassment in order to safeguard the safety of the staff. Inevitably, a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment demonstrates the strongest possible penalty, the termination of the perpetrator when the investigation reveals that the harassment has occurred in the legal sense (Perkovich & Rowe 2000). Furthermore, the notion of deterring future misconduct is the core of the zero-tolerance philosophy and the impact of any consequence on future behavior is the defining characteristic of effective punishment (Skinner 1953). Hence, the swift and certain punishment of zero-tolerance has a deterrent effect on the employees, so as to improve overall employee behavior and discipline in the firm.

From the time children are born, they are vulnerable to the world around them. Fortunately, our communities have created resources that are available to some challenged families to assist in providing children’s basic physiological needs. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, food, water, air, sleep, shelter, and healthcare are at the core of what is needed for basic survival. The second tier of the theory mentions a need for safety, security, and protection and especially a stable and secure environment. Most people would think of home as a stable and secure environment because it is where bonds were formed between family and friends and it can be referenced to some of our best memories. But unfortunately for some children and adults, home more of a place of fear, loneliness, isolation, and abuse.

There are many reasons why an individual may not regard the home as a sanctuary but the most devastating would be from family violence or abuse. Abuse can be physical, sexual, and emotional and it can deprive or violate an individual’s life-sustaining needs which can have a long-term negative impact for the individual and the community if left untreated. Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is one of the forms of abuse and probably the most egregious. It’s been difficult to define because of its’ nature which makes it difficult to develop adequate protection or preventive measures. However, the World Health Organization has provided a complete set of guidelines on how to recognize it and how to treat it if a case is found.

When an adult or adolescent uses their power and authority to engage in a sexual act with a minor or exposes the minor to inappropriate sexual behavior or material. A person who is sexually abusing a child may do so with threats, physical force and typically in secret. CSA is considered a severe traumatic event and is seen as unique because it involves the violation of the body of a child. Unlike physical abuse where there is a visible sign, sexual abuse involves oral, anal or genital penetration and can vary in form and frequency. Research shows that sexual abuse is always done covertly with a family member or with a trusted member of the family. This type of abuse is never disclosed and may remain disclosed for many years (Slávka Karkošková, 2015).

Children are not developmentally prepared to engage in sexual acts and those who are long-time victims find ways to detach themselves from the molestation. Improper or no treatment at all can negatively impact their mental and physical health as they reach adulthood. A large number of studies have listed numerous psychological, behavioral, and social difficulties in survivors. It includes high levels of depression, psychological distress, poor self-esteem substance abuse, suicide attempts, psychopathology disorders, self-destructive behavior, and dissociative disorders with PTSD as the most common (Sinanan,2015). Studies have also found that child sex offenders were highly likely to have also been a victim of sexual abuse. A variety of treatment interventions currently exist that is designed to provide support, psychoeducation, and strategies to prevent any future abuse or dysfunction after a report is filed. Early treatment aims to restructure the damage created by the trauma into something positive and empowering. There is documented evidence showing victims responding positively to cognitive behavioral therapy because it teaches them how to manage negative emotional and behavioral responses by effectively process the experience (Holm and Hansen, 2004). To have successful treatments, children and adults must have treatment adherence and compliance without any barriers.

Barriers to successful treatment services can compromise long-term well-being. Families and individuals may be faced with financial difficulties that obstruct the number of treatments received thereby affecting the quality. Other barriers faced might be the level of family stress from the situation, time constraints, developmental concerns for child and caregiver, cultural differences, religious beliefs or even treatment acceptability (Holm and Hansen, 2004). However, according to research, the most common barrier in completing treatment counseling for children is the lack of parental or caregiver participation during these sessions. Research indicated that parental involvement helps reduces stress, stabilize the child’s external behaviors that get in the way. It has also shown the child that they are being supported. Parents also get an opportunity to see what occurs during sessions and learn how to help them continue how to achieve goals at home that will reinforce positive thinking (McPherson et al.).

As indicated earlier, barriers to a successful counseling session can also include ones that are therapist or agency related i.e. client-therapist rapport, gender differences, and therapist behavior. There are others that not only jeopardize treatment but can violate ethics if not careful. To name a few, the APA explicitly requires health care professionals of the ethical standard to ‘do no harm’ to those with whom they work and survivors are vulnerable to being re-victimized. There is a high potential for conflicting roles as practitioners become more involved with the legal system so it is important to distinguish between the role of practitioner and forensic evaluator and establish guidelines that discourage playing both roles. The therapist should only operate within their level of experience to be seen as credible and have a basic familiarity of how the legal system operates, the laws of that state, and their role within the law (Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (1992).

Texas law provides protection for the abused throughout an investigation, and resolution of any allegations of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of individuals with disabilities. It has both civil and criminal laws that protect children from abuse and neglect. Any person or professional can report suspicions of CSA and will be protected by law from liability when a report is made in good faith during an investigation. Failure to report suspected abuse or neglect even when in doubt is a criminal offense. A person who is required to file a report of suspected abuse and knowingly fails to do so has committed a Class A misdemeanor offense that is punishable by a fine up to $4,000 or confinement in jail for up to 1 year, or both. Newborns and children under the age of 18 are protected but are limited in care after 18. A statute of limitations allows survivors to file a claim of abuse for up to 15 years after their 18th birthday. On May 25, 2019, a bill was approved unanimously that would allow victims of childhood sexual abuse to bring a civil lawsuit against their abuser and institutions up to 30 years after their 18th birthday. This came after former Olympic and U.S. national team gymnasts urged legislators to restore a key provision allowing victims to take on institutions such as Catholic Churches, Boy Scouts of America and of course the USA Gymnastics Teams (‘Spectrum News San Antonio’). There is still more work to be done but this is a start.

Works Cited

1. Branaman, T. F., & Gottlieb, M. C. (2013). Ethical and legal considerations for treatment of alleged victims: When does it become witness tampering? Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 44(5), 299-306. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0033020
2. Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (1992. (2019). Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (1992). Retrieved July 29, 2019, from https://www.apa.org website: https://www.apa.org/ethics/code/code-1992
3. Murray, L. K., Nguyen, A., & Cohen, J. A. (2014). Child Sexual Abuse. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 23(2), 321–337. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2014.01.003
4. Gopalan, Geetha, et al. ‘Engaging Families into Child Mental Health Treatment: Updates and Special Considerations.’ Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry = Journal de l’Academie Canadienne de Psychiatrie de l’enfant et de l’adolescent, vol. 19, no. 3, 2010, pp. 182–96, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2938751/. Accessed 21 July 2019.
5. Holm, Jeremy W, and David J Hansen. Examining and Addressing Potential Barriers to Treatment Adherence for Sexually Abused Children and Their Non-Offending Parents. 2004.
6. McPherson, Paul, et al. ‘Barriers to Successful Treatment Completion in Child Sexual Abuse Survivors.’ Journal of Interpersonal Violence, vol. 27, no. 1, 2012, pp. 23–39, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21859762, 10.1177/0886260511416466. Accessed 21 July 2019.
7. ‘Slávka Karkošková.’ ResearchGate, ResearchGate, Dec. 2015, www.researchgate.net/profile/Slavka_Karkoskova. Accessed 22 July 2019.
8. ‘Trauma: Childhood Sexual Abuse.’ Psychology Today, 2013, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/somatic-psychology/201303/trauma-childhood-sexual-abuse. Accessed 22 July 2019.
9. Ethical and Legal Considerations for Treatment of Alleged Victims: When Does It Become Witness Tampering? | Tim F. Branaman | Request PDF. Retrieved July 22, 2019, from ResearchGate
10. Spectrum News San Antonio. (2019). Retrieved July 23, 2019, from Spectrumlocalnews.com website: https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/san-antonio/news/2019/05/25/texas-set-to-expand-statute-of-limitations-on-child-sex-abuse-lawsuits

Although there are laws in the USA that protect women in their workplace, some women still suffer from sexual harassment mainly due to the insufficiency of the law that should protect them and women in some situations tend to avoid reporting sexual harassment cases.

Introduction

‘The glory of justice and the majesty of law are created not just by the constitution – nor by the courts – nor by the lawyers – but by the men and women who constitute our society – who are the protectors of the law as they are themselves protected by the law.’– Robert F. Kennedy. Several decades ago, many laws were issued in the USA which protect both genders, particularly women, from gender discrimination such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. So, why are women still being discriminated against? Hosein (2015) believes that one important reason is due to the “historical mistreatment” of women because of their subordinate position in society (487). Is the law not sufficient enough to protect them in the workplace? Is it well enforced? Although there are laws in the USA that protect women in their workplace, some women still suffer from sexual harassment mainly due to the insufficiency of the law that should protect them and women in some situations tend to avoid reporting sexual harassment cases.

Literature Review

Sexual harassment is any unwelcome and inappropriate behavior that is sexual in nature, which leads its victims into feeling demeaned and degraded. Sexual harassment can occur in any given setting, whether at a school, office, bus or on the streets and a workplace is no exception. Sexual harassment is sometimes inevitable in a workplace where men and women interact. However, employers and corporates should abide by the legal procedures to protect women; to avoid a hostile workplace and to ensure gender equality. Browne (2006) views “sexual harassment through the lens of evolutionary psychology”(146). He claims that this will result in a better understanding of sexual harassment rather than focusing on its “sociocultural” perspective (146). Hemel and Lund (2018) focus on the law’s role in resolving sexual harassment issues and reveal the deficiencies of these laws, specifically Title VII (1583). Schultz (2003), on the other hand, argues that management does not consider if behaviors in sexual contexts are actual threats to gender equality in the workplace. As a result, managers may misemploy sexual harassment policies such as Title VII to control their staff members’ sexual behavior that could be innocuous (2064). Most resources have dissimilar results, which indicate that the law in one way or another needs reforming.

Alexandra Waterbury’s case of sexual harassment

In a case filed to the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Alexandra Waterbury, a former ballerina in the New York City Ballet (N.Y.C.B) filed a case of sexual harassment against the N.Y.C.B and her ex-boyfriend Chase Finlay, a principal dancer at the N.Y.C.B. Finlay had taken nude pictures and videos of her and other female dancers and shared them with other male colleagues in the company in addition to vile text messages that were sent between them. Waterbury alleged that the N.Y.C.B should have been aware of this misconduct because a similar case happened before and no punitive measures were taken for that incident. By dismissing their behavior and actions without any punishment, “N.Y.C.B. signaled to a group of male dancers ‘that they could degrade, demean, mistreat and abuse, assault, and batter women without consequence.’ ” Waterbury’s lawyer, Jordan K. Merson, sought for a settlement as compensation for the damage and humiliation Waterbury’s reputation suffered. However, the company refused to abide by it, and her case seemed to have not been settled until Finlay resigned from the company and two other dancers involved, Ramasar and Catazaro, were fired.

Reasons for the prevalence of sexual harassment in the workplace

Although we are now living in the twenty-first century and this topic has been heavily discussed by many writers, it is still relevant. There are many reasons for its persistence, including the inadequacy of the laws that supposedly provide women with a safe, protected space to voice out their complaints without having to fear the consequences. Moreover, in some cases, women avoid filing lawsuits leaving these incidents unreported and unsettled.

The insufficiency of the laws

Sexual discrimination under the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.” This statement is broad and can allow forms of misinterpretation. One woman might find a sexual joke offensive and therefore classify it as a form of sexual harassment while it might seem like a harmless joke to another. As a result, many writers have contradictory opinions regarding what conforms as sexual harassment and the disciplinary procedures that need to be taken by employers to punish such behavior. Schultz (2003) argues that due to anti-gender discrimination laws, employees are being punished for incidents that are not included in the law such as casual “sexual remarks, teasing, and joking” (2104). This statement is relevant in some cases; however, focus in these situations should be on the victim who does not need to tolerate inappropriate behavior if they find it offensive. While “Diane Gold of EEO Management Solutions [believes that companies need] ‘to go one step beyond the law’ and to be ‘more conservative than the law [demands]’ ” (2101). This approach is the extreme version of the equation which is based on zero tolerance. The multiple opinions regarding what is considered sexual harassment indicate the unclarity of the laws, and therefore, proves their insufficiency. I believe there should be a moderate approach that establishes respectability within the interactions between men and women.

Furthermore, many writers argue that anti-gender discrimination laws are inadequate. Hemel and Lund (2018) discuss five main shortcomings of Title VII which are, “Capped Damages”; which results in under-compensation that covers limited damages; “180-Day Limitation Period”; which means that employees may lose their cases if they are not filed within the required time limit; “No Individual Liability”; means that employers are not held accountable for such cases if they have less than fifteen employees; “Class Certification”; where employees with similar cases must file individual lawsuits and “Arbitration”; which means that employees cannot take their cases to court and need to resolve them within the company through an arbitrator hired by the employer (1603-1609).

These shortcomings serve as an indirect deterrence that complicates the process of filing a lawsuit. Even those employees who are brave enough to file lawsuits against their employers are taking a risk that will threaten their careers, especially in situations where it is difficult to provide solid evidence to prove their allegations. The lack of awareness regarding certain aspects of the law also plays a significant role in employees losing their cases or not filing them at all.

The avoidance of reporting sexual harassment cases

Many women avoid pressing charges, which is another important reason why sexual harassment is still prevalent. According to the Justice Department analysis of violent crime in 2016, only 23.2% of rape and sexual assault crimes were reported. Furthermore, rape and sexual assault crimes are the least reported in comparison to other crimes such as robbery or domestic violence in that same year (7).

Most women tolerate such assaults for various reasons, including cultural and social factors. Schultz (2003) interviewed Anderson, a consultant who stated that women “may have ‘learned while growing up that [they] must expect and tolerate that type of behavior from men, or that [they don’t] have the right to not be treated that way’ ” (2102). This statement indicates that cultural perceptions regarding women are associated with shame especially concerning sexual assaults because they deal with women’s privacy and reputation; therefore, in many situations victims may avoid suing their employer in fear of being publicized. There is also a fear of jeopardizing their careers if they pass charges against their harassers. Waterbury mentioned in an interview with Broadly , that the other female dancers who were exploited did not come forward because as she says: “your voice would actually hurt your career more than it would help it.” Waterbury also mentions that she was terrified to voice her complaint; however, due to the rising of the #MeToo movement , she was given a chance to be heard and taken seriously.

The prevalence of sexual harassment can also be attributed to the position of power the harasser (men) hold in society and within their workplace. Browne (2006) argues that “sexual harassment cases that most conspicuously involve power … are about both power and sex: a supervisor is using his workplace power to extort sexual compliance” (151). This issue was apparent in Waterbury’s case; Finlay was a principal dancer in a prestigious school of dance, he was also Waterbury’s boyfriend and did not need to exploit her or other women for sexual reasons. That is, his motives did not solely revolve around sexual prospects. It was an assertion of dominance because of his higher position in the company, while she was a subordinate dancer. He committed similar offenses before and managed to escape from those situations with minor consequences. The Supreme Court stated that “as a result, the male ballet dancers at NEW YORK CITY BALLET, INC. understood that they were ‘above the law’ and could do whatever they wanted to women, whenever they wanted to do so.” This is a clear indicator that there is a gap between law and practice. Those in power need to be more aware of the consequences their decisions have on lower-ranking employees. In addition, managers need to place more women in positions of power. This creates an environment of equal opportunities for all employees and decreases the sexual exploitation of women.

The laws both men and women formulate intend to protect them from forms of injustice. Sexual harassment is still pervasive despite there being regulations that ensure such behavior is prohibited in places of work. Two main reasons for its prevalence were discussed. The first is law inadequacy, which plays a major role in the persistence of sexual harassment. Certain laws are not stated clearly, which leads to misinterpretation and conflict. Moreover, several sexual harassment lawsuits are overlooked or dismissed due to the flaws found in anti-gender discrimination laws such as Title VII. The second reason is that most of these cases remain unresolved when the courts are not notified of such offenses. I believe that spreading awareness and campaigns such as the #Me Too Movement are key components to remedy the workplace and create an environment free from sexual harassment.

Work Cited

1. Alexandra Waterbury. Complaint and Jury Trial Demanded. New York County Clerk. NYSCEF DOC. NO. 3. Received 18 Sep. 2018. Web. 4 Apr. 2019
2. Broadly. “Alexandra Waterbury on Sexual Exploitation in Ballet | The Scarlet Letter Reports.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 29 Mar. 2019. Web. 4 Apr. 2019
3. Browne, Kingsley R. “Sex, Power, and Dominance: The Evolutionary Psychology of Sexual Harassment.” Managerial and Decision Economics 27.2/3 (2006): 145–158. JSTOR. Web. 16 Apr. 2019.
4. Hemel, Daniel, and Dorothy S. Lund. “SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND CORPORATE LAW.” Columbia Law Review 118.6 (2018): 1583–1680. JSTOR. Web. 16 Apr. 2019
5. HOSEIN, ADAM. “FREEDOM, SEX ROLES, AND ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAW.” Law and Philosophy 34.5 (2015): 485–517. JSTOR. Web. 21 Mar. 2019.
6. Morgan Rachel E. and Grace Kena. U.S. Department of Justice. BJS Statisticians U.S. “Criminal Victimization, 2016 Revised.” Web. 4 May. 2019.
7. Schwartz, David S. “When Is Sex Because of Sex? The Causation Problem in Sexual Harassment Law.” University of Pennsylvania Law Review 150.6 (2002): 1697–1794. JSTOR. Web. 16 Apr. 2019.
8. Schultz, Vicki. “The Sanitized Workplace.” The Yale Law Journal 112.8 (2003): 2061–2193. JSTOR. Web. 21 Mar. 2019. U.S Government Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. “Sexual Harassment” Web. 4 May. 2019.

INTRODUCTION

Sexual harassment and assault are widespread issues. They cause limitations to people’s lives, cause pain and impact communities and society. Sexual harassment and assault cause a significant problem, especially for women. Women with disabilities are more likely to be the victims than women without disabilities to report experiencing assault. Men in socially narrowed groups are more likely to experience sexual harassment and assault than other men. Sexual harassment incidents begin often in a younger age group people. It takes place around a number of locations but is usual in public space. Its most frequently perpetrated by men, and most often by strangers for harassment and a known person for assault. It causes all people of any demographics to feel anxiety or depression and prompt them to change their route or routine.

Due to a large number of women being victimized to sexual harassment and assault, Tarana Burke, an American social activist, began to use the phrase “me too” on the Myspace social network to highlight the occurrence of sexual harassment, particularly as it targeted women of color. She made efforts to make “Me Too’ movement works on empowerment through empathy, by showing the world just how common sexual harassment is and by telling survivors that they are not alone and are supported. it became viral both online and in the mainstream during late 2017, when high-profile actresses came up talking about their experiences with sexual harassment in the film industry. Since then, it has provided a source of solidarity for women from all backgrounds who have experienced sexual harassment, not always but most often perpetuated by a male colleague. In October 2017, many actresses in Hollywood came forward with sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein, an incredibly influential film producer with the power to make or break careers. Initially contributing to Burke’s work, on October 15, 2017, actress Alyssa Milano invited people to use a #MeToo hashtag to show just how widespread sexual harassment and assault are in the United States beyond Weinstein and the stories in the headlines. Soon, millions of people had used the hashtag.

Four months later, dozens of high-profile men have been fired or resigned from their jobs in the entertainment, arts, political, sports, and business industries because of women and some men who came forward with their allegations of abuse. In many cases the accounts of abuse were confirmed by many victims sharing similar stories about the same perpetrator, showing a clear pattern of abuse and predatory behavior, which was all too often ignored by individuals and institutions who failed to hold these perpetrators accountable.

On October 8, 2018, the long-awaited wave of the global #MeToo movement finally hit Indian social media. Tanushree Dutta filed a sexual harassment complaint against fellow actor Nana Patekar resurfaced wherein Dutta said Patekar acted inappropriately while they were shooting a film in 2008. More disclosures came in the form of Twitter tweets and Facebook posts. As one woman raised her voice against this, the insidious pattern of silence broke instantly, by women who’ve been sexually harassed and assaulted by the men mostly in powerful positions. Since then, the list of sexual harassment allegations against famous and well-known figures in India has grown. The well-known names came from Bollywood, the journalism and media industry, and even politics.

Research Objectives: The following research attempts to ensure how the sexual harassment has impacted the modern world and how every problem has a solution to it. The researcher focuses on bringing upon the beginning of #MeToo movement, the major consequences the helped women protect themselves against sexual harassment and the landmark judgements.

Research problem

How is sexual harassment a major issue in the modern living society? Could it be really distangle the (mostly) women and men from sexual harassment through an initiative called #MeToo movement? Who can be the harasser and who can be the victim? What are the various difficulties that a victim comes across?

Research methodology

This paper presents the findings of a criminal force used on women and men. The methodology adopted for this research is doctrinal method of study. An Exploratory form of Research and Secondary Sources of Data is used with an objective of discovering and building a theory based on it. The collection of data is procured from authenticated publications, online journals and articles. The literature review has been compromised by following the instructions given by the faculty board members.

Analysis

Sexual Harassment- A nightmare!

According to section 354 A of Indian Penal Code, 1860: Sexual harassment and punishment for sexual harassment

1. A man committing any of the following acts—

   i. physical contact and advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures; or

   ii. a demand or request for sexual favours; or

   iii. showing pornography against the will of a woman; or

   iv. making sexually coloured remarks, shall be guilty of the offence of sexual harassment1.

2. Any man who commits the offence specified in clause (i) or clause (ii) or clause (iii) of sub-section (1) shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.
3. Any man who commits the offence specified in clause (iv) of sub-section (1) shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.

According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, sexual harassment is Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:

• Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment, or
• Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as a basis for employment decisions affecting such individual, or
• Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.

Unwelcome Behavior is the critical word. Unwelcome does not mean ‘involuntary.’ A victim may consent or agree to certain conduct and actively participate in it even though it is offensive and objectionable. Therefore, sexual conduct is unwelcome whenever the person subjected to it considers it unwelcome. Whether the person in fact welcomed a request for a date, sex-oriented comment, or joke depends on all the circumstances.

According to the Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013, “Any of the following (directly or by implication) shall mean sexual harassment: (1) physical contact and advances; (2) a demand or request for sexual favours;(3) making sexually coloured remarks; (4) showing pornography; (5) any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of sexual nature.”

Sexual harassment majorly takes place in the following two forms:

(a) Hostile Work Environment: It occurs by unwelcomed conduct or speech of another employee that creates a demeaning or hostile work environment which affects the work performance. Example: Any unwelcome sexual comments that are repeated even after indicating that such behaviours are unwelcomed.

(b) Quid Pro Quo: It is a Latin phrase which means, ‘something for something’. It means demanding sexual favours in return for a benefit.

Sexual harassment amounts to many things like Actual or attempted rape or sexual assault, Unwanted pressure for sexual favors, Unwanted deliberate touching, leaning over, cornering, or pinching. Unwanted sexual looks or gestures, Unwanted letters, telephone calls, or materials of a sexual nature, Unwanted pressure for dates, Unwanted sexual teasing, jokes, remarks, or questions, Whistling at someone, Sexual comments, Turning work discussions to sexual topics, Sexual innuendos or stories, Asking about sexual fantasies, preferences, or history, Personal questions about social or sexual life, Sexual comments about a person’s clothing, anatomy, or looks, Kissing sounds, howling, and smacking lips, Telling lies or spreading rumors about a person’s personal sex life, Neck massage, Touching an employee’s clothing, hair, or body, Giving personal gifts, Hanging around a person, Hugging, kissing, patting, or stroking, Touching or rubbing oneself sexually around another person, Sexually suggestive signals, Facial expressions, winking, throwing kisses, or licking lips, Making sexual gestures with hands or through body movements.