Sexual Harassment and Rape
Cheryl, sixteen, trainer for her high-school girl's volleyball team and photographer for the school newspaper, arrived at the gym at about 9:00 Saturday for a volleyball tournament. She left her purse and equipment with friends while she went to the restroom. When the game started and she hadn't returned to the team's bench, her friends went to look for her. Her raped body was found behind some stage backdrops on the balcony of the school auditorium(Booher 12). Sexual harassment and rape are prevalent in all aspects of society.
Sexual harassment is unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature that makes someone feel uncomfortable or unwelcome by focusing attention on their gender (http://www.de.psu.edu/harassment/whatif/). There are many different forms of sexual harassment including sexual comments, jokes, gestures, looks, pictures, photos, illustrations, messages, and rumors. Other forms such as calling gay or lesbian, spy on people dressing, flash or moon, touch or grab sexually, pull at clothes, corner in sexual way, or force to do something sexual are also forms of sexual harassment(Parrot 2).
Statistics show that eighty-one percent of teens, ages thirteen to eighteen, have been sexually harassed in school alone. In school the number of teens who are sexually harassed are astounding. Eighty-five percent of female teen are sexually harassed in school, which is slightly higher then the seventy-six percent of male teens harassed(3). One in ever four girls,
and one in every seven boys, are sexually harassed on a daily basis(Cooney 18).
There are many myths about sexual harassment that causes people to stereotype potential
attackers. Eighty percent of the time the sexual abuser is someon...
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Sexual harassment by definition is based on conduct of a sexual nature. An article on ENotes.com describes sexual harassment as;
The trial of 19 year old Owen Laurie has brought into light the alarming rate in which Sexual assault is rising. The issue that rages on in Colleges is said to be making its way to high schools and primary school. In a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Division of Violence Prevention, 19% of Undergraduate women experienced
In what is sure to be a very solemn matter for all American students and their families across the country , in January 2013 , President Obama, the office of the Vice President and the White House Council on Women and Girls converged and issued a renewed call to action against rape and sexual assault report which analyzes the most recent reliable data about this issue and identifies who are the most in peril victims of this malefaction, investigates the costs of this violence both for victims and communities , and describes the replication very often inadequate of the US malefactor equity system.
Sexual harassment is unwanted sexual behavior that is discriminatory and violates a person’s rights in nature (e.g., sexual advances and requests for sexual behavior). The constitution prohibits any form of harassment be it in schools or workplaces. Quid pro quo harassment and hostile environment harassment are the types of sexual harassment that have been established by law those harassments have been established to counter the ever increasing cases of sexual harassment. Quid pro quo harassment is a state where sexual demands are made in exchange for specific benefits or favors more so in schools, therefore, it is unlawful and considered as harassment
When it comes to sexual assault on college campuses there is also the question of what can colleges do to decrease the amount of sexual assaults. Bradford Richardson and Jon A Shields wondered the same thing, so they conducted an ...
To date, “between 10 to 40 percent of female students [. . .] have been raped while [. . .] up to 60 percent of males students [have] commit[ed] actions that meet the legal definition of sexual assault” (Bretz 19). This percentage demonstrates the ineffectiveness of university policies and signifies a drastic change to procedures is in order if educational institutions want to see improvement. In order to see an effective change, policies must “explicitly define key terms such as “‘consent’, ‘force’ [,]‘incapacity’ and cover [a] range of sexually violent behavior” (Gunraj 9). Furthermore, since the age of fourteen 58.7% of females “ha[ve] experienced one or more forms of victimization[. . .] 35.0% ha[ve] experienced at least one completed or attempted rape and 23.5% ha[ve] been raped” (Senn et. al. Results). First-year female students are not prepared for the perpetrators they will face on campus, and as a result, are more vulnerable to sexual violence. Universities need to develop effective policies and procedures to not only prepare women for the challenges they may face but to reduce the overall number of sexual assaults and make school a safer environment for
Sexual harassment and sexual assault is nothing new to the modern world. Though the aspect of sexual assault and harassment has existed since the dawn of time. Cavemen would club their selected mate and have their way with them. It wasn’t until the early 1980s that it became more pronounced as immoral and derogatory. Though some may say that certain acts, gestures, jokes, songs, or even quote do not fall under anything worth mentioning, it all boils down to who is present and how the offended perceives it. Bystanders may just see it and not think anything of it, or they will find it extremely offensive.
The other common type of sexual harassment is based upon the idea of comments indirectly or directly said in a hostile environment. This is called hostile environment harassment. This occurs when harassing conduct is so severe or persuasive that it affects the persons ability to be an individual. Regardless what type of harassment that occurs, you must take immediate action or measures to stop this violence.
The US Military has been one of the most powerful and respected fighting forces in the world; it is also a hotbed for sexual assault. Each year, thousands of men and women take an oath to serve and protect their country and each thousands of military service members are sexually assaulted. “Earlier this week, Pentagon officials released a new report which estimated more than 70 sexual assaults occur in the military each day.”(Shane III) Fear of retaliation, both personal and professional, and humiliation stop many service members from reporting their sexual assaults. Those few that make the bold choice to report incidents of sexual assault often finds themselves disappointed by the outcome; assaults that do get reported have an incredibly low rate of conviction of the offender. The US Military has proven over time that they are incapable of effectively dealing with the sexual assault problem that it faces.
I think that sexual harassment is a comment or action with a provocative connotation that makes someone feel uncomfortable or unsafe in an environment. Unfortunately, sexual harassment is a common occurrence, especially for women. Often times, song writers add verses in their songs that would constitute as sexual harassment, even in songs outside of the rap genre. Sometimes, it isn’t easy to depict either, but when you actually listen to what the lyrics are trying to say, you will realize how they fall under the category of sexual harassment.
Bonnie, S. F., Francis, T. C., & Michael, G. T. (2000) The sexual victimization of college women. U.S. Department of Justice.
Inertwined with rape myths, are subsequent rape scripts. As Ryan (2011) and Clay-Warner and McMahon-Howard (2009) showed, depending what script is prevalent or dominant, reporting rates and overall acknowledgement can be greatly affected. Our understanding of what constitutes a rape or sexual assault needs to significantly change otherwise countless victims will remained silenced. If the understanding of these crimes was broadened, and the acquaintance scenarios taken more seriously, more victims would come forward, report, and get the help they may desperately need, in addition to aiding the legal system in punishing the offender and improve society’s population.
Rape and sexual violence is a very serious problem that affects millions of people each year. Rape is someone taking advantage of another person sexually. Sexual assault can be verbal, physical, visual, or anything that forces a person to join in unwanted sexual contact or attention. ("Sexual Assault.") Rape is one of the most underreported crimes. In 2002, only thirty-nine percent of rapes and sexual assaults were reported to law officials. ("Sexual Violence: Fact Sheet.") Victims sometimes do not report that they have raped because of shame or feeling that it was their fault. It is never the victim's fault. "Victim blaming" is holding the victim of a crime to be in a whole or in partly responsible for what had happened to them. Most victims believe this. ("Myths and Facts about Sexual Violence.")
.What does sexual harassment really means? Many people cannot define the exactly sexual harassment means. According Title VII of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 it defined as, " (Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or
“In 2011, there were 11,364 complaints of sexual harassment made to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: 84 percent filed by women and 16 percent filed by men” (aauw.org). Sexual harassment in the workplace is very serious and is unacceptable at all places of employment throughout the US. Individuals should be able to show up to work without the fear of an individual sexually harassing them. “Sexual harassment of men does occur, though there is less information about the problem because men are less likely to report the behavior.” (workharassment.net). Aside from sexual harassment are workplace relationships. There are good workplace relationships, and there are bad workplace relationships. How can victims of sexual harassment in their workplace put a stop to the inappropriate behavior? What is classified as a good workplace relationship, and a bad one? In my paper I will discuss sexual harassment in the workplace, and what one can do when they feel they are being harassed. Also, I will discuss the good and the bad of workplace relationships.