Sexual Harassment in Our Community

WHAT IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT?

• Sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual advances, verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature, or requests for sexual favors (Working: Now and Then). It can occur in various manners and various locations such as school, the workplace, as well as social surroundings. It can lead to long term issues such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD (Spector). 

WHY IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT AWARENESS IMPORTANT?

• Sexual harassment awareness is important because both men and women should have the liberty of knowing they are not alone and as a community we need to be present in supporting the people who have gone through these incidents. Along with that, we should be increasing education in shifting the frame of thought to not put blame on the victims but on the assaulters. It is important because these events have lingering effects dealing with: depression, anxiety, poor self esteem and body image, avoidance of places or activities, disordered eating or loss of appetite, out of control stress hormones, homelessness, impaired heart health, career problems, weight changes, and sleep disturbances (MacMillan). 

STATISTICS

• An online survey conducted in January 2018 by a nonprofit called Stop Street Harassment found that 81% of women and 43% of men has experienced some form of sexual harassment in their lifetime.

RESPONDING TO STREET HARASSMENT 

• Trust your instincts: it is OK to do nothing. You get to decide what's right for you.
• Reclaim your space by: setting the boundary, engaging bystanders, and documenting the situation (Hollaback)

WHY IT MATTERS TO ME

My whole life I have been forced to keep an eye out of my surroundings, choose my outfits wisely, and carry a sort of defensive weapon with me. The concept of having to teach these things to a young girl and watching her have to hear nothing be said to young boys is traumatizing to think about. In our society, that is the reality of our circumstance. I know women close to me who have dealt with the harsh repercussions of sexual violence caused by men who were born into a society who almost seems to have taken their side. I chose this issue because I also know plenty of women who, although have not dealt with sexual violence, have dealt with sexual harassment, such as cat calling. They have also been forced to carry a sort of weapon with them at all times for the *possibility* of something happening. Do you realize how disturbing that sounds? The fact that women have to be PREPARED at all times because solely leaving their house is a risk.

STATEMENTS

• Sonia Colis- "Being out as a girl is terrifying now. A simple task like going to get gas has to be done in the daylight with many people around. Living in the area I do I come across many situations where I feel I'm threatened. Working in a clothing store can be stressful because I often come across people who just stare and that's enough to make me feel scared. Growing up I was always taught to always be aware of my surroundings and now that I'm older and I see what's around, I get scared sometimes."

• Jasmine Amador- "It has affected me because it's made me take extra precautions that men may not have to worry about. Like going out I always have to be aware of my surroundings, especially at night and who is around because you never know. Also when being cat called I always assume the worst may happen so it's made living as a woman a little more difficult."

Work Cited

“All the Ways Sexual Assault and Harassment Can Affect Your Physical and Mental           Health.” Health.com, www.health.com/condition/sexual-assault/sexual-harassment-health-issues.

Chatterjee, Rhitu. “A New Survey Finds 81 Percent Of Women Have Experienced Sexual Harassment.” NPR, NPR, 22 Feb. 2018, www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/02/21/587671849/a-new-survey-finds-eighty-percent-of-women-have-experienced-sexual-harassment.

“How to Respond to Street Harassment.” Hollaback! Together We Have the Power to End     Harassment, www.ihollaback.org/responding-to-harassers/.

Spector, Nicole. “The Hidden Health Effects Of Sexual Harassment.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 1 Dec. 2017, www.nbcnews.com/better/health/hidden-health-effects-sexual-harassment-ncna810416.