Sexual harassment is a widespread phenomenon around the world, whether at home, at school, in the community or at work. Most victims are women and most are male abusers. Nowadays, we see problems that include the sexual harassment of women in the workplace by their boss or other male colleagues. Exposing women to unpleasant sexual behaviors can take many forms, physical, psychological or verbal abuse. The status of men's privileges in all societies, even in developed countries, is highly controversial (Seymour, 2013). Privileges in the sense that the male population of the community is granted rights and status based on their gender. As Seymour (2013) states, “Patriarchy”, as a concept that is strongly linked to the privilege of men. Under this system of thought, men dominate, oppress and exploit women. Therefore, women are usually denied equal freedom.
Victims of sexual abuse may often not know themselves to be victims of sexual abuse. Any unwanted behavior that occurs without the consent of the other party is an example of sexual harassment. According to Cybulska (2007), some behaviors that may lead to sexual harassment include; showing anything that implies sex, such as pictures, posters, etc., abusive nicknames and comments, sexual jokes, use of sexually explicit or seductive words, any form of forced physical contact.
A study has found, "One in four young women are scared they will be sacked if they report sexual harassment at work" (Oppenheim, 2019). According to this study, which is done in England, only 6 percent of young women who have been sexually abused in the workplace report abuse. The research, conducted by the "Young Women Confidence Movement" and released on the second anniversary of the #metoo movement, also stated that about two-thirds of young women were harassed in their office (Oppenheim, 2019). Statistics show that working in closed environments can increase the threat of violence. The executive director of the "Fawcett" Society for Women's Rights stated that, it has been a long time since women's testimony about sexual harassment in the workplace; we have not yet seen the law change. “We need to protect women from sexual harassment from co-workers, clients and customers. We also need to go further and introduce a duty on employers to prevent harassment” (Oppenheim, 2019). In general, the lack of a well-planned and specific system for protecting women from sexual harassment is a deficiency seen in most societies, even in developed countries.
The problem is that many cases of sexual harassment and abuse are not reported by women, for various reasons, such as fear of family or relatives, fear of losing a job, fear of being set aside by society, etc. Some women are more likely to be sexually abused in certain occupations such as acting. On the other hand, men in specific jobs may be exploiting their position to abuse the women they work with. For example, the “Harvey Weinstein” an American film producer, during his career exploited his influential position to commit criminal sexual acts including rape (Levenson, Valle & Moghe, 2020). In October 2017, more than eighty women were able to testify against Harvey Weinstein. They were generally actresses and young girls who came to him for professional careers. Weinstein also faces charges such as rape, forcible rape and battery in Los Angeles. He initially made his accusation inaccurate but failed to cover up after witnesses increased and stated in an interview that I would be offered an acting job in return (Levenson et al., 2020). Moreover, According to Ransom (2020), a number of executives or assistants in connection with Weinstein said they had seen or were aware of Weinstein's unexplained sexual advances to women. Generally, this clearly shows that in many cases, mistreatment of women has become a trivial matter.
In 2018, the “District Attorney for New York” indicted Weinstein on rape, criminal mischief, and sexual abuse. However, unbelievably he was released the same day on a $1 million bail. He agreed to hand over his passport and monitor the ankle, and confine him to Connecticut and New York (Levenson et al., 2020). As Ransom (2020), states that, the producer who had dominated Hollywood for decades, in February 2020, was found guilty of rape in the third degree and a criminal sexual act. In addition, eventually in March 2020, he was sentenced to 23 years of imprisonment. It took years for this man to be convicted of having sexually abused many women. Therefore, it is possible to conclude that because of his power and success, few spoke out against him.
Sexual assault and violence is one of life's most devastating experiences, victims suffer many years and perhaps lifelong complications, from a variety of mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, trauma, delinquency, suicide and self-harm. Creating a sense of basic security and assurance of physical health is the first step for victims. Statistics show that nearly 90 percent of victims of rape are women, but men may be raped too, but have a very limited proportion compared to women. After women, children are usually the main victims (Cybulska, 2007). Many women who are subjected to sexual harassment usually blame themselves and they pint the finger to themselves. In fact, they are the victims. In past generations, women have endured sexual abuse in their silence. Fortunately, nowadays women have been able to go further than ever before to report sexual harassment, which is a sign of progress (Oppenheim, 2019). Most rapes, according to international statistics, may be due to a drunkenness, but there are several other reasons for this: sexual assault, hostility, receiving a ransom, threats, conflicting class and social contexts of the offender and mental illness (Cybulska, 2007). As Seymour (2013) states, Allowing or ignoring sexual harassment only causes more sexual abuse because those who commit sexual harassment themselves know that their behavior will not have very serious consequences. Therefore, giving victims a sense of security and protecting them, while also dealing with the abuser, can be one of the important measures to tackle this phenomenon.
In conclusion, anyone of any age, of any sexual orientation and of any gender, can be a victim of sexual abuse. The majority of victims of child sexual abuse are women and children, and the vast majority are male sexual abusers. Rape and sexual abuse are highly traumatic experiences that can severely disrupt one's home, work, and school lives. Victims are the least protected, according to socially dominated thinking based on patriarchy. The vast majority of sexual abuse occurs in the workplace. All developed and developing countries and societies should systematically design programs to address discrimination and abuse of women, as well as establish regulations to protect women in the workplace. There should be conditions for women to report sexual harassment and believe that there are systems in place to support them. No man has the right to use his position nor his power to abuse or sexually take advantage of women, and if he commits such a crime, the law should take severe action against him. This policy must clearly state that sexual harassment will not be tolerated of any kind, including any race, nationality, age, religion, or circumstance.
References
Cybulska B. (2007). Sexual assault: key issues. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine,
100(7), 321–324. Retrieved from
Levenson, E., Valle, L., & Moghe, S. (2020). Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 23 years in prison
after addressing his accusers in court. CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/11/us/harvey-weinstein-
Oppenheim, M. (2019). One in four young women scared they will be sacked if they report
sexual harassment, study finds. Women's Correspondent. Retrieved from
Ransom, J. (2020). Harvey Weinstein’s Stunning Downfall: 23 Years in Prison. The New York
Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/nyregion/harvey-weinstein-sentencing.html
Seymour, R. (2013). On 'male privilege'. Part of the Guardian Comment Network. Retrieved
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