Sexual harassment – and here, obviously, I mean sexual harassment of women¹. OK, the easy bit – what is sexual harassment?
“Sexual harassment is a type of harassment technique that relates to a sexual nature and the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions from mild transgressions to sexual abuse or assault². Harassment can occur in many different social settings such as the workplace, the home, school, churches, etc. Harassers or victims may be of any gender.
In most modern legal contexts, sexual harassment is illegal. Laws surrounding sexual harassment generally do not prohibit simple teasing, offhand comments, or minor isolated incidents—that is due to the fact that they do not impose a "general civility code". In the workplace, harassment may be considered illegal when it is frequent or severe thereby creating a hostile or offensive work environment or when it results in an adverse employment decision (such as the victim's demotion, firing or quitting). The legal and social understanding of sexual harassment, however, varies by culture.”
[Wikipedia]
The effects of sexual harassment on women are often severe. Some of these effects are:
· Loss of one’s job and income for failing to comply with sexual requests.
· Loss of career path.
· Loss of references.
· Having to change course/school/career.
· Having to relocate.
· Being publically sexualised/objectified, defamed.
· Damage to relationships and sex life.
· Loss of trust.
· Psychological & physiological trauma.
Sexual harassment in the workplace should always be reported, not only by the victim (who may be too intimidated to do so), but by any witness to it.
Violence against women (VAW) – Yep, so popular it got its own acronym. Tragically, VAW includes violence against girls, which manages to upset and anger me even more.
"violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women… violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position compared with men."
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_on_the_Elimination_of_Violence_Against_Women]
I cannot even begin to go into the detail needed here, so I recommend you read the Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_against_women
¹Every time I use the term sexual harassment here, I mean of women.
²See violence against women, section two.