The Roanoker - March/April 2018 - 47

SEXUAL HARASSMENT

SEXUAL HARASSMENT is one of the hottest topics in
America and has been for months, but its definition is not always
clear to all. Americans read the reports of everybody from the
president, to various entertainers, to politicians and other notables,
as well as the guy down the street, being charged with it. Even the
beloved Garrison Keillor of Prairie Home Companion has been
fired after accusations.
Sexual harassment is what the kids would call "messing with
you." It'll get you fired. Rape, on the other hand, will land you in
prison for about 20 years.
Officially, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's
definition of sexual harassment is, "Quid pro quo harassment:
requests for sexual favors, or hostile environment harassment,
which is creating a hostile workplace that interferes with
performance."
The U.S. Justice Department definition of rape-often
conflated with harassment-is, "The penetration, no matter how
slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral
penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent
of the victim."
They're quite different, but no less traumatic, in many cases.
Women generally know the difference because so many have
experienced them, especially sexual harassment. An ABC NewsWashington Post poll says more than half of American women
have felt "unwanted and inappropriate sexual advances" at some
point in their lives. About a quarter of those advances come from
men with power over them. As common as the offense is, 95
percent say the men go unpunished.
Various polls have come up with similar conclusions: Time
magazine says 30 percent of successful female doctors say they've
been sexually harassed. George Washington University estimates
80 percent of physical therapists experience it. RN.org estimates
50 percent of nurses, physicians and students have experienced
sexual harassment.
The Restaurant Opportunities Center says a majority of
restaurant workers face sexual harassment weekly.
Women are most often the victims of sexual harassment, but 15
percent of men say they've been sexually harassed. Most won't say

66.6%
TheRoanoker.com

OF VICTIMS

were not aware of the
workplace policies
regarding sexual
harassment

50.4%

anything public (and, in fact, we couldn't find a man willing to be
quoted in this story about his experience, although the writer has
been harassed, but is not willing to quote himself).
Are American businesses taking the issue seriously? The
U.S. Senate recently unanimously approved a bill that mandates
sexual harassment training for all senators and their staffs. Says
the Washington Post, "Companies have dramatically increased
their insurance coverage against sexual harassment complaints in
recent years following high-profile scandals, as corporate America
reckons with the growing risks of workplace misconduct." The law
gives those companies a lot of responsibility in the issue.
The huge insurance company Nationwide registered a 15
percent increase in the sale of employment practices liability
insurance policies, which cover sexual harassment, between late
2016 and September 2017.
Victims are generally women, but not always. YouGov reports
women are the victims 80 percent of the time in one survey and
15 percent of men say they've been harassed.

***

IT ALL BEGAN INNOCENTLY enough, says Sally Roberts,

a Roanoke property manager. "I was dating [her harasser's]
best friend. He got off late from work and I was having trouble
sleeping. He was great as a masseur. My parents, pets, fiancé all
loved him. I had fibromyalgia and he'd rub my back.
"One night I thought, 'This looks weird.' I was on the couch,
my fiancé was asleep and he was rubbing my feet, calves. I live
where I work and he always had a need to be around and to
touch. One night, I felt his hands go into my shorts and he was
masturbating, thinking I was asleep. I told my fiancé and [the
man] later apologized.
"I can't promise he didn't rape me. I was taking [a drug that
caused drowsiness], which knocks me out. I called the police and
spoke to a female cop. The police were wonderful, but I was afraid
if we sent him to jail, it would mean suicide, so I didn't press
charges.
"I sent him a letter telling him to go to sex abuse counseling
and he got treatment. So did I. I came away with the feeling that

WERE NOT AWARE

of what department
or person should be
contacted regarding
sexual harassment

ABOUT 1 IN 3
WOMEN AGES 18 TO 34
have been sexually
harassed at work

81%

OF WOMEN

experience harassment
in verbal form

MARCH/APRIL 2018

http://www.RN.org http://www.TheRoanoker.com

The Roanoker - March/April 2018

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