Sexual harassment is generally broken down into 2 categories, Quid Pro Quo and Hostile Environment:
“When I was 14 I worked at Tim Hortons in Canada. While I was working I had an older man, looked to be in his 60s or 70s, tells me that he couldn’t sleep at night without me beside him in his bed and asked if I would come home with him. I was absolutely disgusted that a man would say that to me as a child.” — Emma, 26”(Agrawal, N. 2015)
Sexual harassment does not have to be in person, as technology changes and grows, sexual harassment also expands. Text messages, chat rooms, phone calls, social media, and more are used to sexually harass other people.
Sexual harassment is very common, the most reported location to be sexually harassed is the workplace. In a survey done by AWARE (Association of Women for Action and Research) in 2008 they analyzed 92 different companies and gathered 500 respondents data.
These statistics show that both biological genders experience sexual harassment, but barely half of them know what to do about it or where they can go to find out more information. While many companies are progressively pushing to have better policies to cover this problem, it still requires each person to help. If you or someone you know has been sexually harassed or assaulted please document it, and report it to the proper authorities (police, human resources, etc...) and then follow up on it. Only by doing this can sexual harassment and assault be stopped
Sexual Assault has many aspects and can also be referred to as sexual violence. It is defined as any unwanted sexual contact from another party, this includes but is not limited to kissing, touching, groping, molestation, and penetration or rape. Sexual assault is different from sexual harassment as sexual assault requires a physical contact between 2 parties, where as sexual harassment doesn’t require physical contact but can include it. Sexual assault refers to: rape, forcible sodomy (oral or anal sex), and other unwanted sexual contact that is aggravated, abusive or wrongful, or even attempting to commit any of these acts. Sexual assault has no age limits, there have been many cases where children and elderly have been sexually assaulted.
Rape is a form of sexual assault or sexual violence. Rape is the unlawful sexual intercourse or any other sexual penetration of the vagina, anus, or mouth of another person, with or without force, by a sex organ, other body part, or foreign object without the consent of the victim. (Dictionairy.com LLC 2017)
Sexual assault is a statutory offense that states that it is a crime to knowingly cause another person to engage in an unwanted sexual act by force or threat.
Many states have gone through and redefined rape with statutes that define sexual assault in different degrees. This means that sexual assault can be connected to rape, but with the revised version of rape not all sexual assault acts are included as a rape incident.
To find out more details or specifics please visit your local legal associations or community resources.
There are many potential places for sexual violence, the most common to least common according to rainn.org (a website dedicated to sexual assault and awareness) are:
While most of the above places can’t be avoided all the time, there are still many ways to protect oneself from sexual violence.
This doesn’t mean, let the perpetrator do whatever they want, what this means is think of a plan of escape. While immediately fighting feels like a good idea, many sexual violence cases have a perpetrator that is physically stronger or a better fighter than the victim. So to solve this, one must stay calm and think of a plan.
While most people get annoyed of nosy neighbors, they can be of great assistance during an emergency. It is highly recommended by police and government officials to yell and scream when being assaulted, in order to draw attention from members of the public that could be of assistance to the victim.
When at parties, social events, or just at a private gathering there are many types of people. Some of these people will respond correctly when directly told “No!”. The other reason to say “no” is to protect yourself in the event of malicious people trying to say “you wanted it because you never said ‘No’”. While this type of thing sounds terrible it unfortunately happens, so always be clear and say “No!”.
Many sexual violences occur due to alcohol consumption and other drugs, so to protect oneself be aware of who you are with and help by watching over your friends. Date Rape drugs are very subtle but can occasionally be detected by a salty taste, so be aware of your drinks and what they are supposed to taste like. Be aware of who you are with and ask for help if something feels strange. If at a bar, one of the best helps can be the bartender as they will want to protect the reputation of the bar by not allowing date rape instances to happen in or near it, or they can call you a cab if you just feel you are too intoxicated.
Unfortunately there are times that sexual violence cannot be avoided, in these instances there are steps one should take so that the victim gets taken care of with proper assistance:
There are free hotlines that you can call 24 hours a day to get help if you have been sexually assaulted or if you need advice on how to leave an unhealthy relationship.
National Sexual Assault Hotline:
1-800-656-HOPE (1-800-656-4673)
National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1-800-799-SAFE ( 1-800-799-7233) or
1-800-787-3224 (TDD)
Girls and Boys Town National Hotline:
1-800-448-3000 or
1-800-448-1833 (TDD)
You can also find local resources, including women's shelters or other services, through your local phone book, a religious center, your school counselor or nurse, or a doctor's office.