Sexual harassment .. Its forms and effects and how to avoid it

Sexual harassment is defined as one of the most important forms of harassment. It is a form of sexual discrimination related to sexual nature. Abuse, insult, or insecurity, which is illegal, bad, degenerate, socially, morally and religiously unacceptable.

Where and how is sexual harassment possible?
Anyone among us is vulnerable to harassment or harassment of any gender and in any social environment whether home, school, university, workplace, public transport, public place (restaurants, street) or online.

The victim and the harasser can be heterosexual or heterosexual, and the harasser can also have a relationship with the victim; for example, a co-worker or a student, a family member, a parent or sibling, a legal guardian, a relative, a teacher, a student. , Friend or stranger.

Harassment can occur only once or again, and this is often the case. It can also happen whether or not there are witnesses.

As Internet and social media usage went wrong, sexual harassment also increased through video games, chat rooms and video calls.

The difference between sexual harassment and sexual assault:

Sexual harassment is a broad term that encompasses many types of unwelcome verbal or physical sexual behavior. Sexual abuse refers to sexual contact and is often physical and occurs without the consent of the victim.

Although sexual harassment is a violation of civil laws, in many cases it is not considered a criminal act, while sexual assault refers to criminal acts (rape or attempted rape), forcing the victim to engage in sexual acts such as oral sex or foreplay And unwanted sexual touch).

Forms of sexual harassment

• Touching or any kind of unwelcome physical approach to any part of the body, clothing, face or hair (hug or forced kissing).
• Sexual hints, comments, or suggestive jokes.
• Unwanted requests for implicit or public sex.
• Intrusive questions in people's lives or bodies.
• View sexual material such as photos and videos directly or online.
• Unwanted calls out on dates.
• Inappropriately stare to certain places in a person's body.
• Sarcasm and insults based on sex.
• Online harassment and sending inappropriate videos via social media or online chat sites and sexually abusive communications, such as phone calls, messages, faxes and e-mail that can include sexual threats.
• Striptease in front of the person without wanting to show intimate parts or to grow up in front of him.
• Threat of rape or psychological intimidation of sexual assault.

Types of Harassers

In general, sexual harassers are classified into two categories:

General Harassment: His sexual acts are scandalous against those around him.

The invisible harasser: who builds himself a respectable image in front of everyone, but when the victim is unique, his behavior changes.

The classification of harassers in particular is determined by the following types:

Predator harasser: the kind that gets sexual arousal and an increase in the desire to humiliate others.

Dominant and dominant harassment: The most common type, which harasses to impose control and domination of people and thus strengthen and increase his self-confidence.

Harassment of public places: harassment in the streets and harassment verbal or physical or in the form of sexual comments and observations.

Local or strategic harasser: Harassment to maintain his strategies and privileges at work, such as harassment by a man against a woman employed in a male job.

Effects of sexual harassment

Harassment has many significant effects. It affects mental, physical and mental health.

• Stress, anxiety, depression, difficulty concentrating, headache, insomnia and sleep disturbances.
• Eating disorders, fatigue, fatigue, panic attacks, drug use and suicidal ideation.
• Loss of desire or motivation in life.
• Anger, fear, humiliation, shame, shame, violence, helplessness and loss of control.
• Decreased academic or practical performance and increased absenteeism for fear of repeated harassment.
• Loss of self-confidence and self-esteem, loss of confidence in others.
• Nightmares and alcoholism.
• Withdrawal and isolation.
• Sometimes job loss and thus loss of income.
• Negatively affecting sex life which may lead to divorce.
• Having to change lifestyle, place of residence or workplace.

Factors that increase the risk of sexual harassment

These factors can be attributable to the person or environment in which they are raised and include:

• Drug or alcohol addiction.
• Exposure to violence or sexual abuse during childhood.
• Join the ranks of abusive gangs or groups.
• Some abnormal societal customs and convictions that incite harassment (such as a male society that gives an idea to a man that harassment or forcible sex are evidence of his strength and masculinity).
• Absence of laws protecting victims.
• Some mental illness and the presence of problems in self-control and self-control.
• Social isolation of the harasser.
• Violent behavior in general both within the family and society.
• Emotional, physical or family instability.

How to behave in the event of harassment

It is quite normal for anyone who has been harassed to be afraid or worried about reporting sexual harassment or taking any action to stop it, but the leniency of harassment and lack of reaction or lack of reporting is the strongest factor leading to high cases of abuse and harassment. We offer a range of options that can help a person study and think about the appropriate action they can take without putting themselves at risk:

• Ask the harasser to stop immediately and try to do so either verbally, with the victim being a trusted person as a witness, or in writing, for example, by text message or e-mail, and keep a copy if needed as proof.
• If harassment is within the scope of the work, it is best to refer to the Company's laws and policies and complaint mechanisms for employee protection policy.If there is insufficient information on how to report or complain, it is advisable to turn to the Human Resources Department. electronic.
• Recourse to a lawyer is easy to talk to victims first, through legal advice and practical advice.