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Sexual harassment needs to be addressed

Millions of women across the world have shared their experiences of sexual harassment and abuse in an online campaign using the hashtag #MeToo on social media, and this has many people speaking up as survivors of sexual violence.

Millions of women across the world have shared their experiences of sexual harassment and abuse in an online campaign using the hashtag #MeToo on social media, and this has many people speaking up as survivors of sexual violence.
It is brave for these women and men to speak up against sexual harassment and abuse. It is important for this subject to not be ‘swept under the carpet’. The reality is that only one out of every three sexual assaults is actually reported to police.
Most women and men have defined their own sexual harassment and assault as something unspoken, something private, and something to be ashamed of acknowledging. The survivors of sexual harassment or assault have to deal with what was said or done every day of their lives.
We have to remember that for every woman or man who has stated an experience out loud, there are likely just as many choosing not to do so.
It is very important to understand the prevalence of sexual harassment and assault in our society today. It is even more important to uncover the colossal scale of the problem and start correcting the issue, instead of trying to hide the issue.
Sexual harassment is an abuse of power. In most cases, women generally remain in poorly paid, lower status and less secure jobs than their male counterparts. Women continue to be under-represented in managerial and leadership positions in our economy. When women do enter blue-collar or professional fields, they may face harassment since often these are viewed as ‘non-traditional roles’.
Critical to these efforts to combat sexual harassment has been the growing recognition of sexual harassment as a form of violence. Not all who are victimized by sexual harassment or abuse react the same way. The emotional strain can cause physical illnesses; it can affect a person’s whole life, and the quality of their work.
The biggest problem is that often the victims who report sexual harassment or abuse are often not believed, are discredited, or even blamed for the problem. They are asked ‘victim-blaming questions’, which leads to a loss of self-confidence.
It can be difficult to find that self-confidence normally in today’s society, which seems to value ‘beauty and power’ and where ‘sex sells’. We need to stop downplaying sexual harassment and abuse in all aspects of media. We need to be a clear, strong voice, stating that it is not right for sexual harassment to be portrayed in a comedic or romanticized way.
The sexual harassment and abuse won’t stop if we ignore it. Most importantly, to all victims of sexual harassment and abuse, remember it is not your fault. You deserve to be respected.