What to do if you’re the Victim of Sexual Harassment?
Effects of Sexual Harassment on Victims
Recovering from Sexual Harassment

What to do if you’re the Victim of Sexual Harassment?
When you are faced with a harasser, remember that every situation is different. The following suggestions should be adjusted to meet your situation and level of comfort.

1. Tell the harasser
   • That their attention is unwanted,
   • What they have done — name the behavior and be specific, and
   • That he or she should stop the offending behavior. You may want to write the harasser a letter; keep a copy for your records.
     
2. Document
   • The harassment. Keep a log of what is happening; include each incident and the time, place, and witnesses of each incident. If you are able, ask co-workers who witness the harassment to write down what they have seen. Make your entries as detailed as possible so that someone reviewing it later has a clear picture of the harassment. Keep this log at home or in another safe place.
   • Negative actions that you experience as a result of your refusal to submit to sexually harassing behavior.
   • Any meetings you have with your employer concerning the harassment. Take note of who was there, what was said, and what conclusions you agreed on. If possible, send a copy of your notes to all participants as a follow-up.
   • Any retaliation you experience after complaining about the sexual harassment. Retaliation for complaining about sexual harassment may also be illegal.
     
3. File a complaint
   • Begin with formal channels in your workplace. Look at your employee handbook or check with your human resources department.
   • With your supervisors. Inform them as soon as possible. Preferably, tell them in writing and keep a copy of the letter with your log. It is essential that your employer have the chance to correct the problem before you can make any legal complaints.
   • With the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. If you plan to file a lawsuit, you must first file a sexual harassment complaint with the EEOC and/or your state’s fair employment agency. When investigating allegations of sexual harassment, the EEOC looks at the entire record and makes a determination on a case-by-case evaluation.
     
4. Contact
   • Your human resources department or another appropriate supervisor. Usually, members of the human resources department are responsible for knowing and applying the sexual harassment policies of your employer. If they do not deal directly with sexual harassment complaints, they should be able to point you in the correct direction.
   • A lawyer. The law surrounding sexual harassment is very complicated, and a lawyer will be able to explain both your and your employer’s obligations under Title VII. An attorney will also be able to keep you informed of any deadlines that have to be met before a lawsuit is barred. Many lawyers specialize in workplace discrimination, and they will be able to give you advice based on your specific circumstances.

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Effects of Sexual Harassment on Victims
Sexual harassment can have a number of serious consequences for both the victim and his or her co-workers. The effects of sexual harassment vary from person to person and are often dependent on the severity and duration of the harassment. For many victims of sexual harassment, the aftermath may be more damaging than the original harassment. Effects can vary from external effects, such as retaliation, backlash, or victim blaming to internal effects, such as depression, anxiety, or feelings of shame and/or betrayal. Depending on the victim’s experience, these effects can vary from mild to severe.

The following are various effects that sexual harassment may have in the workplace.

Economical Effects
The most obvious effects of sexual harassment occur when the victim either loses his or her job or loses wages or other benefits. The simplest connection between sexual harassment and loss of work is when a worker is fired for refusing to comply with sexual demands of a supervisor or co-worker. Sometimes the firing is tied to another event but can be connected to the harassment. Other victims may be subjected to forced reassignment, denial of promotions, or demotion.

Backlash and Victim Blaming
Victims who report sexual harassment may find themselves victimized again by their co-workers in the form of backlash. Backlash involves a change in attitude toward the sexual harassment victim, such as expressing hostility toward or shunning the victim. Victims may face objectification or humiliation through scrutiny and gossip, defamation of character and reputation, and ostracism from certain professional circles.

Victim blaming can occur when the harasser or co-workers hold the victim responsible for either the sexual harassment or the resulting conflicts after the harassment has been reported. Some people may believe that the victim could have stopped the harassment if she had really tried or even that the victim may have been “asking for it.”

The Women’s Crisis Support and Shelter of Santa Cruz, California, has created a list of changes that may occur in victims’ places of employment after they have complained about sexual harassment. These include¹

• The social environment may be entirely transformed. If the victim has only told a handful of people, he or she may constantly wonder who else knows and what they are thinking. The victim may overhear supervisors or fellow employees discussing the harassment. The victim may become the subject of office gossip, misinformation, and speculation; the harasser may be conducting his or her own campaign of misinformation.
  
• The victim’s support network may be torn or fall apart. The workplace in which the harassment occurred may be a big part of the victim’s life and social sphere, and it may be turned upside down in the wake of a complaint. Those who do not know the victim well may isolate themselves from him or her; those to whom the victim would ordinarily turn to for support may have mixed loyalties or may turn against the victim altogether.
  
• There may be a series of intrigues that continually intrude upon the victim’s ability to do work as usual. The victim is no longer an ordinary employee. Rather, she or he is part of an underground drama.

Psychological Effects
In addition to external effects of harassment, many victims suffer from psychological effects as well. Some of these effects include - Depression - Anxiety and/or panic attacks - Sleeplessness - Shame and guilt - Difficulty concentrating - Fatigue or loss of motivation - Feeling betrayed and/or violated - Feeling powerless, helpless, or out of control - Loss of confidence and self-esteem - Withdrawal and isolation

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Recovering from Sexual Harassment
For many victims, the recovery from sexual harassment can be a complicated and long process. Victims must deal with external effects from the harassment, including potential loss of job, backlash from co-workers, and public scrutiny. Additionally, many victims must deal with internal effects, which potentially include humiliation, loss of motivation, or even depression.

The following are some suggestions for victims in the aftermath of sexual harassment:²

1. Make your recovery and self-care a priority. Do not expect anything to change without taking steps to make it better.
2. Accept that the harassment occurred and that it was not your fault. 
3. Validate your experiences:
   • Talk to people about what happened.
   • Do not let others tell you how you should feel about the situation.
   • Join a support group.
4. Research your options and weigh them carefully. It is important for you to feel as though you have control over yourself and the final outcome of the harassment.
5. Strengthen your support network. Work on reestablishing connection with those you may have distanced yourself from following the harassment. Additionally, try to form new relationships with people you believe will continue to be supportive of you.
6. After your experience, you may find that you want to share your story with others to help educate them about the effects of sexual harassment. Or you may decide to dedicate part of your life to addressing sexual harassment in other ways. Some suggestions for doing so are
   • Writing about your experiences
   • Beginning a support or discussion group for men and women who have been victims of workplace harassment
   • Joining organizations that dedicate themselves to combating sexual harassment and volunteering your time to their mission
   • Talking to people and/or groups about the problem of sexual harassment
7. Find support centers or organizations within your community. Many local women’s centers may be areas that provide support and resources for victims of sexual harassment.

Counseling and Therapy
Sexual harassment victims may often find comfort and help from counseling. Some people believe that, with counseling and time, you may completely recover from the effects of sexual harassment, while others believe that some effects of sexual harassment will continue to affect the victim throughout his or her life.

If you find that you would like to speak to a therapist about your experiences, find one who understands sexual harassment and the common feature and effects of such behavior. Please be very careful that you find a counselor who is schooled in this area, as an unqualified therapist could cause more damage. If possible, try not to use your workplace’s mental health staff; their primary duty may be to protect the employer from liability rather than help a victim with her or his recovery. Seek help outside the environment where the harassment occurred.

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¹ These have been modified from the original list, which can be found at Sexual Harassment Support, Effects of Sexual Harassment, http://www.sexualharassmentsupport.org/effects.html, last visited Dec. 1, 2008.
² Adapted from Recovery from Sexual Harassment, Sexual Harassment Support, http://www.sexualharassmentsupport.org/Recovery.html, last visited Dec. 5, 2008.