Sexual Harassment in America
Sexual harassment is one of the problems that are affecting Americans today especially in the work place. Numerous cases of sexual harassments have been filed others have been resolved while others are still pending the hearing in some states in America (Marshall, 2017). Sexual harassment in general regards the issue of another person having some sexual advancements conducts or impressions which are very unwelcome. These kinds of advancements in many cases interfere with the normal job performance of a person which is as a result of feeling intimidated and offended in the work environment. Persistent sexual jokes, touching inappropriately and the regular posting of another person sexually in the bulletin board and which is very offensive amounts to sexual harassment.
Sexual harassment is very common in America and a serious issue to both the males and females who are victims. There are certain laws which have been developed by the federal and the state authorities in order to deal with these issues and which has been very beneficial in nature (Spector et al., 2014). Employees are forbidden from acting in a manner that suggests or signifies any level of sexual interest in their colleagues. Some companies especially the private companies have developed methods to deal with such issues and ensure that employees are not harassed sexually since this would lead to the company fighting some legal battles.
Sexual harassment topic is important since it helps identify the several forms that are used to sexually harass another person. Such forms include the use of posters and sending of messages which are very hostile to another person. This is an offensive method of sexually harassing another person since it is even a breach of privacy (Spector et al., 2014). According to the privacy act, one is not allowed to evade another person’s privacy and there can be legal actions taken against people who break such rules. The different types of sexual harassment forms are meant to intimidate the victim and this is very offensive. Second importance of this topic is that it helps identify the different liabilities a person can undergo in case he or she is found guilty committing such acts. Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination and is protected by the Constitution. Mostly, the seniors specifically the supervisors can victimize their juniors by asking for sexual favors in order to either assist or advice on an issue. This is wrong and the law forbids such activities which could lead to the prosecution of the offender.
Laws have been formulated and well specified in the Constitution that any offender of the law will be prosecuted and spend close to over 2 years in prison. Having known that, any person who finds him or herself being victimized can directly report the matter to the relevant authorities for the perpetrator to face the law (Marshall, 2017). In America, such cases are taken very seriously to prevent any fatal acts such as murder as a result of a person being obsessed with the other person. If an employer is found guilty of committing such crimes of sexual discrimination, the company or organization he or she is heading could be deregistered and the name of the company tarnished by the employees or the victims. A third reason is having the idea on how to make the complaint to the relevant commission which will help deal with the issue of sexual harassment. Commissions both private and public assist people with ways in which a person could make a complaint to solve the issue. This is important since it is timely and effective in terms of responding to complaints.
Sexual harassment perpetrators are subjected to spending little time like two years in prison but some of the victims are traumatized for the rest of their lives. This law needs to be changed and accommodate the feelings of the victim in dealing with the trauma (Spector et al., 2014). The time spent should be above 5 years to ensure a lesson learned will never be forgotten as a way of justice to the victim. Another way that the laws could be changed is based on the idea of not having enough access to the authorities to report such matters. Many people are discouraged from reporting such issues since there is no specific agent in the federal department who deals with such issues specifically. A relevant body should be created in order to help the victims of these cases come forward immediately it has happened. This will indicate that there is the concern for the general society whether a male or female. Justice should play out regardless of gender.
References
Marshall, A. M. (2017). Confronting sexual harassment: The law and politics of everyday life. Routledge.
Spector, P. E., Zhou, Z. E., & Che, X. X. (2014). Nurse exposure to physical and nonphysical violence, bullying, and sexual harassment: A quantitative review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 51(1), 72-84.
