You should feel safe and comfortable no matter where you are – at home, school, work, you name it. But there are instances when somewhere someone will make you feel uneasy in more than one. It might be honest at first, but before you know it, things might escalate into something else. If that's the case, you might be the victim of sexual harassment. Don't fret because you can do something once that happens. We will get to that later on. But for now, we will cover some basic things regarding sexual harassment first. Let's get started.
What Exactly Is Sexual Harassment?
Sexual harassment is any behavior towards someone that might make them feel humiliated, intimidated, or offended. Sexual harassment can happen to anyone at all, and the circumstances revolving around it may vary.
In addition, sexual harassment comes in many forms. Check some of them out below:
- Acts of physical contact without your consent, including touching, grabbing, and so on
- Comments with blatant or discreet sexual meanings
- Favors regarding sex
- Staring and leering at someone
- Public display of rude and offensive materials
- Sexual gestures towards you
- Suggestive body motions
- Insults in the form of sexual comments
- Questioning your sex life
- Sending you unwanted sexual photos, videos, and audio files
- Sexual assault
- Indecent displays
- Obscene phone calls or text messages
Any instance of sexual harassment can be physical, verbal, or written. These incidents can happen to you in person or when you are online. Regardless, these acts are against the law.
The Effects Of Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment can negatively impact someone. Here are some of the effects it may have for an individual:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Withdrawal from social gatherings and interactions
- Loss of self-confidence
- Sleeping problems
- Headaches
- Lack of focus and concentration
- Reduced productivity
- Substance abuse
- Suicidal tendencies
- And many others
What You Can Do
You have a plethora of options you can do when you feel like you're the victim of sexual harassment. Read about them below:
- Talking with the offender
While talking with the offender might seem trivial, it is still a valid option. You can try to resolve the issue by letting them know that their actions are undesired.
- Learn about harassments
You also have the option to learn about sexual harassment and what policies and rules govern them. Doing so will arm you with the knowledge to prevent any occurrences from happening in the future.
- Record in a journal
It is wise to keep a journal regarding sexual harassment. Keep reliable information, such as the date of the incident, potential witnesses, and so on.
- Keep all the evidence you can
Save and store all the possible pieces of evidence regarding sexual harassment. Such include emails, voice recordings, images, social media comments, etc. You may use them once you decide to file charges against an offender.
- Let someone else find out
It will not help to keep it all to yourself. What you can do is tell someone about your predicament. It will take some weight off your chest. In addition, the person you told your story can help you take the next step.
Additional Assistance
Let us say that you've taken all the necessary steps to stop any incidents from happening again. But somehow, the perpetrator still continues with their unwanted behavior. What you can do by this time is to get assistance from a legal specialist. You can contact a sexual harassment attorney. They will do what it takes to make sure you get compensation for any sexual harassment you have received. Such a professional worker may also lend you some assistance in specific location-related incidents. Let's say you're having issues with someone at work. Your best bet is to find the best sexual harassment attorney kansas city has to showcase.
What's Next?
You can get in touch with your sex crime attorney. From that point onwards, the attorney will give you advice and inform you about what else you can do.They will also help you file a complaint.
But once that is over, you can get back to living life without any issues. You may also talk to other victims of sexual harassment. You may give them a pep talk that will surely get them back on their feet.
To Conclude Things
Sexual harassment is no laughing matter. It is grave behavior that no one should suffer from at all. So once you become the victim of such actions, don't think twice about doing what is right. You may do the things that may de-escalate the situation. But if things get worse, that is when you hire the big guns to solve the problem. A sexual harassment attorney will do what it takes to end such matters. Your attorney will do all of the hard work so you can get back to a peaceful life.
