The Expect Respect Project

To date, there have been no cohort studies of sexual harassment incidence and its relation to mental health within humanitarian field-workers. Research among numerous occupations suggests an association between workplace sexual harassment and several health complaints. This study examined the incidence and severity of sexual harassment and its association with changes in mental health in a cohort of international humanitarian aid field-workers (iHAWs). Four hundred and seventy-eight iHAWs filled in questionnaires about sexual harassment, depression, anxiety, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as part of a larger study on health and well-being. Six percent of male and 18% of female iHAWs reported experiencing sexual harassment during their latest field assignment, with most reporting low levels of nonphysical forms of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment was predictive of negative changes in both depression and anxiety symptom severity between before and after an assignment for females; for males, it predicted negative changes in PTSD symptom severity. Sexual harassment did not predict utilization of mental healthcare services within 2 months after the end of assignment. The current findings are the first figures derived from a representative sample of iHAWs on the incidence of sexual harassment during a field assignment and show sexual harassment to be a relatively common and present issue. The findings are mostly in line with the extant literature and underscore the importance of attending to the issue of sexual harassment in the humanitarian sector.

This study investigates male sexual harassment in the workforce and its impact on key occupational outcomes, including job satisfaction, job stress, and withdrawal behaviors as well as perpetrator sex. Using archival data from a stratified random sample of 209 male faculty and staff members at a large Midwestern university, the study explores differences in how verbal and physical sexual harassment relate to these workplace variables. Findings revealed that male employees reported more instances of verbal sexual harassment than physical. Verbal sexual harassment was significantly associated with decreased job satisfaction and increased withdrawal behaviors, whereas physical sexual harassment showed no significant relation with these outcomes. Additionally, none of the harassment types were significantly related to job stress. A significant difference was found in the frequency of overall sexual harassment based on the perpetrator’s sex. These findings contribute to the limited research on male-targeted sexual harassment and highlight the importance of considering harassment type and perpetrator sex in understanding its workplace consequences.

Harassment is an issue that occurs in all workplaces and institutions. Due to increased exposure to patients, higher rates of harassment are experienced in health care systems. Health care workers need to form a professional relationship with patients to attend to their health care needs; however, harassment by patients can disrupt this relationship and have detrimental physical, mental, and emotional impacts on the health practitioner. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and impact of harassment by patients toward clinical students at a prominent Australasian dental school. A 14-item survey was distributed to clinical students. The survey collected basic demographic information and contained Likert-scale closed questions on harassment prevalence and experience and a free text question asking for details of a significant harassment experience. Descriptive statistics and analysis of free text data were performed. The response rate was 67%. About 20% of respondents reported experiencing at least one incident of harassment. Verbal harassment was most commonly reported, followed by sexual and racial harassment. All incidences of sexual harassment were reported by female students, while racial harassment was most frequently reported by students of Asian ethnicity. Most students indicated they were unsure of how to respond to harassment by patients. Dental students were exposed to harassment by patients. Appropriate policies and education on responding to harassment, alongside support for the same, could help ensure the safety and wellbeing of students.

Part I of this Note argues that commentators like Browne and some courts have mischaracterized the harm of verbal sexual harassment as mere "offense." Rather, the true harm of a sexually hostile environment created by words and expressive conduct extends beyond offense, emotional distress, and economic displacement; at bottom, the harm is equality-deprivation. Part II explains how a sexually hostile environment is equality-depriving by arguing that words which create a sexually hostile environment must be understood in historical and social context. Words can be used not only to communicate ideas but also to perform acts of coercion and sexual abuse. Furthermore, sexually abusive speech must be understood in its institutional context. The workplace is the dominant institution in the lives of most adult citizens. It is a community that not only provides financial sustenance but also serves an identity-forming function. How a worker is perceived and treated in the workplace is related intimately to the formation of his or her self-identity. Sexually abusive speech in the workplace proves to be equality-depriving in the sense that it creates a communally shared set of meanings, a workplace ethos, that defines a harassment victim as inferior to her opposite sex counterpart. Part III argues that the workplace should be viewed as a public sphere in which the democratic process matters. Decisions that have broad societal impact are made in the workplace. If democracy in this country is to mean more than the occasional vote for a public official, workers should have a greater role and voice in workplace governance. Affording workers a greater voice in order to democratize the workplace, however, does not entail the toleration of sexually abusive expression. Such toleration would only substitute one hierarchy, management over labor, for another, male over female, or vice versa. An employee's ability to be heard in the workplace democracy must not be impeded by a workplace ethos- that devalues another employee's humanity. Part IV explores why the regulation of verbal sexual harassment in the workplace meets constitutional challenges. The regulation of sexually abusive speech in private workplaces is no more problematic from a constitutional perspective than the regulation of other types of coercive speech in the traditional labor and public employee contexts. In those contexts, courts balance free speech interests, of employees against statutory and common-law interests such as industrial harmony and workplace efficiency. Following the balancing approach adopted in the labor and public employee contexts, courts concerned about encroaching on employee free speech in hostile environment cases should balance any free speech interest in the alleged verbal sexual harassment against the compelling governmental interest in ensuring sex equality. A balancing of free speech and equality interests often should favor the prohibition from the workplace of sexually stereotyped comments, epithets, propositions, and pornography. The few cases in which the Supreme Court has simultaneously addressed the First Amendment and equality interests reveal a precedent of not forsaking equality to foster an absolutist position on freedom of speech. Part IV also argues that recent Supreme Court decisions have suggested that the restriction of sexually abusive workplace speech may be legal as a content-neutral regulation of equality-depriving conduct. Hostile environment law is constitutional because it targets equality-depriving conduct generally rather than focusing on particular messages or ideas. Finally, Part V explores the sweep of hostile environment law, and illustrates that as a content-neutral regulation of equality-depriving conduct, it is neither unconstitutionally overbroad nor vague. This Note concludes that sexual harassment in the workplace is not only sexual abuse but also constitutes equality-depriving conduct. Consequently, it can be regulated without offending the First Amendment protection of free speech.

To identify the frequency of psychological and emotional abuse, gender discrimination, verbal sexual harassment, physical sexual harassment, physical assault, and homophobia experienced by general internists. Cross-sectional survey. Canadian general internal medicine practices. The overall response rate was 70.6% (984/1,393); the 501 respondents who classified themselves as general internists were studied. Three-fourths of the internists experienced psychological and emotional abuse at the hands of patients, and 38% of the women and 26% of the men experienced physical assault by patients. The majority of the female internists experienced gender discrimination by patients (67%) and by physician peers (56%). Forty-five percent of the women experienced verbal sexual harassment by patients, and 22% experienced physical sexual harassment by patients. The male internists experienced verbal sexual harassment from nurses slightly more often than the female internists did (19% vs 13%, p > 0.05). Verbal sexual harassment by male colleagues was reported by 35% of the female internists, and physical sexual harassment was reported by 11%. Approximately 40% of general internists reported homophobic remarks by both health care team members and patients. Abuse, discrimination, and homophobia are prevalent in the internal medicine workplace. A direct, progressive, multidisciplinary approach is necessary to label and address these problems.

Although over 60% of Korean acute care hospitals are small- or medium-sized, their ability to address sexual harassment may differ from larger hospitals due to differences in resources, policies, and organizational culture. This study aims to identify sexual harassment experience, coping, and awareness among nurses working in small- and medium-sized hospitals. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study that collected data from 462 nurses working in nine small- and medium-sized acute care hospitals in two cities in Korea. The study utilized self-report questionnaires, including the coping with sexual harassment questionnaire, perception of sexual, and experience of sexual harassment. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, and one-way analysis of variance. Most nurses receive sexual harassment prevention education in the workplace every year, but only 77% of them are accurately aware of sexual harassment behavior. Among the types of sexual harassment experienced by the participants, verbal sexual harassment was the most common. Only 192 out of 462 nurses responded to the timing of their sexual harassment experience. Of those, more than 50% reported experiencing sexual harassment within the first year of employment and over 80% within 3 years. The most common perpetrators of sexual harassment were patients, followed by doctors. The more times the nurses received sexual harassment prevention education, the better they were at coping with sexual harassment. To prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, training content should be tailored because attitudes and perceptions vary based on the perpetrator's characteristics. This ensures relevance, addresses risks, and clarifies legal responsibilities. To create a healthy and safe working environment for nurses, institutions and managers should implement methods to raise awareness of sexual harassment. This may include providing anonymous hotlines, online reporting systems, regular audits, and establishing anonymous peer counseling platforms.

Occurrences of sexual harassment are usually studied at the job site level. Yet there is evidence to indicate that sexual harassment occurs in a number of disparate job settings and affects all types of victims. In this research we document the incidence and attributes of sexual harassment in a state level population using four years of a specially devised victimization survey. In this paper we present the findings regarding the victims, offenders, and the nature and prevalence of such harassment in a rural mountain state. We found that for all four years, almost 20% of working people in Idaho experienced some form of sexual or gender harassment each year. Moreover, the rate of that harassment remained somewhat constant throughout the study periods. We also found that young, unmarried women were the most likely victims of sexual or gender harassment in this statewide study.

abstractSexual harassment is not only a pervasive concern in many institutions of higher learning but more recently has come under the spotlight in critical discussions of academic and gender citizenship within institutional contexts in South Africa. Recently, as part of the institutional response to recent incidences of sexual harassment, a new and independent Sexual Harassment Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand was formed. However, institutional responses and strengthening of sexual harassment policies can only go so far in addressing the problem of gender violence within higher education contexts. A more concerted effort is needed that engages and destabilises the ‘common-sense’ and normalised cultures of gender and identity that are inherent in everyday interactions between gendered beings. This normalised culture is functional in informing how staff and students within tertiary institutions both interpret and respond to incidences of sexual harassment. We present critical analyses of focus group interviews conducted with different groups of male and female students and support staff at the University. The analysis highlights the role and influence of taken-for-granted assumptions of gender, identity and power that are functional in promoting a ‘culture of violence’ within this context. In interrogating problematic assumptions and their normalisation we point to the need for interventions which expose their role and influence so that more effective institutional interventions can be realised. We argue that there is a need for interventions, to take cognisance of and actively engage the deeply entrenched beliefs concerning relations of gender. These beliefs influence how practices and relations of sexual harassment are both perceived as well as how they are challenged.

Sexual Harassment (SH) is a global phenomenon and a pervasive problem that affects thousands of students in learning institutions daily yet there are few studies exploring its effect on students’ self-esteem especially from the Kenyan context. Sexual harassment is also considered a risk factor for lifelong problems including psychological ill-health and poor self-esteem. The purpose of this study was to describe and explore sexual harassment in and its effect on students’ self-esteem. The study was done in selected public and private secondary schools in 2 purposively sampled Counties in Kenya. The study was guided by a theoretical framework based on Finkelhor and Browne’s Traumagenic Dynamics Model. The design of the study was descriptive survey targeting 23,659 students, 88 Deputy Principals and 88 Heads of G/C. Samples were obtained through purposive and proportionate simple random sampling. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected using a School Sexual Harassment Questionnaire (SSHQ), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), interview and Focus Group Discussion (FGDs) guides. Content validity was determined by seeking expert judgments. Cronbach alpha technique was used to measure the reliability of the research instruments. Quantitative data were analyzed both descriptively and inferentially using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) while qualitative data were analyzed based on emerging themes and presented in narrative and verbatim forms. Findings indicated that verbal sexual harassment had a significant effect on students’ self-esteem whereas effects of physical and visual sexual harassment were not statistically significant. Keywords: Sexual harassment, forms, students’ self-esteem, effect DOI : 10.7176/JEP/10-21-06 Publication date :July 31 st 2019

To examine the role of gender discrimination and sexual harassment in medical students' choice of specialty and residency program. Anonymous, self-administered questionnaires were distributed in 1997 to fourth-year students enrolled in 14 public and private U.S. medical schools. In addition to reporting the frequency of gender discrimination and sexual harassment encountered during preclinical coursework, core clerkships, elective clerkships, and residency selection, students assessed the impact of these exposures (none, a little, some, quite a bit, the deciding factor) on their specialty choices and rankings of residency programs. A total of 1,314 (69%) useable questionnaires were returned. Large percentages of men (83.2%) and women (92.8%) experienced, observed, or heard about at least one incident of gender discrimination and sexual harassment during medical school, although more women reported such behavior across all training contexts. Compared with men, significantly (p </= .01) more women who reported exposure indicated that gender discrimination and sexual harassment influenced their specialty choices (45.3% versus 16.4%) and residency rankings (25.3% versus 10.9%). Across all specialties, more women than men experienced gender discrimination and sexual harassment during residency selection, with one exception: a larger percentage of men choosing obstetrics and gynecology experienced such behavior. Among women, those choosing general surgery were most likely to experience gender discrimination and sexual harassment during residency selection. Interestingly, correlations between exposure to gender discrimination and sexual harassment and self-assessed impact on career decisions tended to be larger for men, suggesting that although fewer men are generally affected, they may weigh such experiences more heavily in their choice of specialty and residency program. This study suggests that exposure to gender discrimination and sexual harassment during undergraduate education may influence some medical students' choice of specialty and, to a lesser degree, ranking of residency programs.

ObjectiveThe aim of the current study was to provide estimates of both overall and specific forms of sexual harassment among male and female college and university students.Design and settingData stem...

IntroductionIn December 2020, the Lebanese Parliament passed the landmark Law 205 against sexual harassment that could see perpetrators spend up to four years in prison and pay fines up to fifty times the minimum wage. The law additionally affords protection to both the victims and any witnesses who testify against the accused. While the law was applauded as a step forward for sexual harassment victims, it excludes an important faction of the community—migrant domestic workers. The law falls short of international standards by addressing sexual harassment solely as a crime and neglecting to complement this law with labor law reforms, monitoring, and civil remedies. This research focuses on the various forms of sexual violence either protected or enabled under the Kafala system. It aims to depict the incessant violations this type of system has produced.MethodsQualitative interviews were conducted with 913 migrant domestic workers in Lebanon. A variety of multifaceted, mixed design methods were used to collect information during the write up of this report, all of which are participatory, inclusive and target group sensitive where needed. These methods ensured that the findings were derived from a collective contribution from a wide range of target groups, triangulated and validated, and that gender considerations were integrated into the data collection and analysis methods. Primarily, these methods included: (1) Desk/Policy Review; and (2) in-depth Key Informant Interviews.ResultsWhilst asked about whether or not they had survived at least one incident of sexual harassment during their employment or stay in Lebanon, 68% of respondents informed the study that they had. According to respondents, various forms of sexual harassment included: (1) inappropriate staring or leering in a sexual manner; (2) sexually suggestive comments/jokes/name-calling; (3) intrusive questions about your sex life/physical appearance that were offensive; (4) someone showing his/her private parts/half or fully-naked body offensively; (5) unwelcome touching, hugging, kissing or other inappropriate physical contact; (6) sexually explicit calls or messages; (7) repeated or inappropriate invitations to dates; (8) sexually explicit pictures, posters or other material; (9) actual or attempted rape or sexual assault; (10) video/photo taking of survivors of a sexual nature; (11) requests or pressure for sex or other sexual acts; and/or (12) other forms of sexual harassment. 56.2% of the sample (513 women) insisted that they had experienced at least one of the aforementioned forms of sexual assault, while 11.7% (107 women) confirmed that they had experienced sexual assault, but weren't willing to describe their experiences in detail.DiscussionThe variety in nationality and race across the sample presented important findings pertaining to ill-treatment, fetishization, and violence each group of women faced. In addition to an overall sense of racism experienced by black MDWs, hierarchy within the MDWs' community presents itself in various forms-even at the early stages of recruitment at the agency. Undocumented MDWs are left powerless in terms of reporting sexual abuse and therefore, are at the mercy of the aggressor. Navigating the country's legal, cultural and social landscapes without documentation or a legal residency permit has become increasingly difficult in recent years, as this has laid the foundation for exploitation and abuse in the areas of: (1) paying less than what MDWs deserve; (2) taking advantage of their legal standing to make them work longer hours; (3) threatening to report them to the authorities if they object; and (4) sexual harassment in all forms.

The study aimed to identify the reality of verbal sexual harassment in the cyberspace of Tawjihi students from the point of view of specialists and counselors. The researcher used the qualitative approach, and the study population consisted of a random sample of 30 specialists and counselors. The researcher used the interview as a study tool, which consisted of two (2) questions. The first paragraph includes questions about the spread of the phenomenon, consisting of (4) areas (definition, spread, causes, technology), and the second paragraph on the mechanism of reducing it, consisting of (6) areas (education, family - parents, school curriculum, authority institutions ,victims of the phenomenon, groups of the influence). After using the interviews and analyzing them, the results of the study showed that the estimates of the sample members have linked education and verbal sexual harassment, so that the relationship was inverse, that is, the greater the awareness of the lack of verbal sexual harassment. in favor of females. This study also dealt with the impact of the Corona epidemic on the spread of this phenomenon in a very wide way, in the years 2018-2020. The recommendations came to the need to monitor budgets by the authority, to hold courses and workshops throughout the year, to establish an educational and deterrent committee, to include the subject of verbal sexual harassment in the school curriculum, to monitor its implementation throughout the year, and to listen to the reactions of students and parents after the end of the first semester of the year, It is the application of education curriculum of sexual harassment over the network‎.

This article presents a Person X Situation model of sexual harassment. In the tradition of Lewin (1951), this model suggests that sexually harassing behavior may be predicted from an analysis of social situational and person factors. Sexual harassment is a behavior that some people do some of the time. The social norms in specific organizational settings may “permit” sexual harassment. Certain individuals may possess proclivities for sexual harassment. When individuals with a proclivity for sexual harassment are placed in social situations that permit or accept this sort of behavior, the behavior is most likely to occur. From a review of research relating social norms in organizational settings and sexual harassment incidence, women are found more likely to experience sexual harassment in workplaces where men perceive the social norms as permitting such behavior. Research on sexual harassment proclivities in men also is reviewed. A profile of men who are high in the likelihood to sexually harass (LSH) is developed through an examination of correlations between the LSH scale and (1) standard self‐report inventories, (2) social cognitive measures, and (3) social behaviors measured in laboratory settings. Possible applications of the Person X Situation analysis to different forms of sexual harassment are discussed.

Sexual harassment can be conceptualized as a series of interactions between harassers and targets that either inhibit or increase outrage by third parties. The outrage management model predicts the kinds of actions likely to be used by perpetrators to minimize outrage, predicts the consequences of failing to use these tactics—namely backfire, and recommends countertactics to increase outrage. Using this framework, our archival study examined outrage-management tactics reported as evidence in 23 judicial decisions of sexual harassment cases in Australia. The decisions contained precise, detailed information about the circumstances leading to the claim; the events which transpired in the courtroom, including direct quotations; and the judges' interpretations and findings. We found evidence that harassers minimize outrage by covering up the actions, devaluing the target, reinterpreting the events, using official channels to give an appearance of justice, and intimidating or bribing people involved. Targets can respond using countertactics of exposure, validation, reframing, mobilization of support, and resistance. Although there are limitations to using judicial decisions as a source of information, our study points to the value of studying tactics and the importance to harassers of minimizing outrage from their actions. The findings also highlight that, given the limitations of statutory and organizational protections in reducing the incidence and severity of sexual harassment in the community, individual responses may be effective as part of a multilevel response in reducing the incidence and impact of workplace sexual harassment as a gendered harm.