A Complete Guide To Understand What Is Sexual Harassment?
Cases of sexual harassment form headlines in newspapers every single day. It takes place in every industry and involves people of all age groups and gender. That said, in order to identify sexual harassment and take the necessary measures to prevent it, you should know what it actually is. No matter what your sex and occupation are, you should have a clear understanding of how sexual harassment really looks like and when you should take the help of sexual harassment lawyers in CT in order to protect yourself or your associates from such illegal social evils. That said, here is a detailed guide that can help you in knowing everything about sexual harassment.
What is Sexual Harassment?
The very term ‘sexual harassment’ refers to unapproved sexual requests or advances for sexual intimacy or favors, which can be either physical, written, or verbal in nature. It can be sexually humiliating, intimidating, or offensive. Furthermore, it can take place online as well as offline. Sexual harassment can involve women as well as men as its victims and can happen anywhere including school, workplace, shopping complex, restaurant, etc.
What Does Sexual Harassment Involve?
In general, sexual harassment involves:
- Grabbing, touching, pulling, or making any other kind of physical contact without consent.
- Asking for sexual favors or unapproved sex
- Staring or leering in an unwelcoming manner
- Making offensive and humiliating sexual gestures
- Cracking illicit sexual comments or jokes
- Asking questions related to one’s sex life
- Displaying sexually offensive behavior in private or in public
- Sending sexually illicit text messages, e-mails, pictures, or videos
- Making obscene phone or video calls
Potential Effects of Sexual Harassment
The victims of sexual harassment usually tend to experience physical, mental, and emotional issues. Here are some of the major effects of an act of sexual harassment:
Physical Effects
A victim of sexual harassment may face adverse physical health concerns such as:
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Enhanced stress levels
- Diet and sleep disturbances
- Increased blood pressure
Mental Effects
A victim of sexual harassment may experience potential negative mental health issues such as:
- Acute and chronic depression
- Panic and anxiety
- Substance abuse
- Loss of courage, concentration, and motivation
- PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)
- Suicidal tendencies
Emotional Effects
The victims of sexual harassment are exposed to risks of experiencing potential emotional troubles such as:
- Shame
- Anger
- Fear
- Frustration
- Guilt
- Loss of control
- Betrayal
- Humiliation
What Can You Do If and When You Face Sexual Harassment?
- Sexual Harassment Training
When you are new to a corporate world, it becomes necessary to be aware about the difficulties such as sexual abuse you could face at your workplace. Sexual harassment training is the best to seek knowledge about each and every aspect of harassment and methods to deal such situations. One can join either online or in person as per the schedule of their work.It really helps people to become self efficient regardless their gender against any kind of injustice with them.
- Talk to the Harasser Directly
The very first step to dealing with an act of sexual harassment is talking to the harasser directly. You can try to discuss the matter with the potential offender and convey him/her the message that his/her behavior is not welcoming and is humiliating. At times, having a good talk and making the harasser aware of his/her offensive conduct can solve the matter and prevent further harassment.
- Pen Down Every Detail
Consider noting down every detail about the sexually intended offense that happens with you. This may include the date and time of the initial act of harassment, the name of the harasser and the potential witnesses, the offensive acts done against you, and the measures you have taken for preventing such unwelcoming conduct.
- Be Informed
If you are facing sexual harassment at school or workplace, it is important for you to know and understand the procedures and policies followed by them to handle and prevent cases of sexual misconduct.
- Save Every Evidence
If you are facing sexual harassment online or through digital mediums, it is highly advisable for you to save the potential text messages, emails, pictures, videos, and social media comments. You can even consider recording and keeping phone call conversations with the harasser as strong evidence.
- Get Legal Help
If you are unable to solve the matter of sexual harassment by yourself and with the help of the higher authorities of your workplace or university, you need to talk to a sexual harassment law firm. An established and certified sexual harassment law firm can help you with the right advice and support to fight boldly with the act of misconduct and get the harasser legally punished. Well-trained and experienced sexual harassment lawyers in CT are intelligent enough to analyze the entire case of misconduct, come out with strong potential pieces of evidence, and get the offender penalized or even imprisoned.
I hope this in-depth guide about the A to Z elements of sexual harassment offers you everything you need to know about this social offense and helps you realize when to hire the best sexual harassment lawyers to support you with your case.
