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Caitlin Fitzpatrick

Prof. Plummer

English 211

November 27, 2018

Sexual Assault in the Workplace

Sexual assault is an epidemic that has and will continuously affect many people in today's

society. Sexual assault does not discriminate against gender, age, race, or sexuality,

unfortunately, this prevalent issue can happen to anyone. Through recent years, sexual assault

has played a consistent role in the workplace, affecting the careers of many victims. Human

resources plays a significant role when it comes to sexual assault, reporting and filing complaints

will make a company aware of an issue especially if reporting a repeat offender which is often

the case. The possibility of hosting an employee that poses as a sex offender in any field of work

must be brought to a corporate offices attention in order to lower the risk of sexual assault in the

future. Reviewing statistics of which demographics are affected by sexal violence, studying

interactions between genders in the workplace, observing the effects of sexual assaults, and

incorporating this into the role of Human Resource personnel can provide a safer and more

efficient workplace with the right credentials.

According to RAINN.org 39% of sexual assaults are perpetrated by an acquaintance of

the victim (RAINN1). This is including co-workers, subordinates, and bosses in a workplace.

Rape culture has been linked to a sense of entitlement, this is prevalent especially in the

workplace because of the influence of monetary status. Nine out of every ten rape victims are

women (RAINN2). This is important because it shows a spectrum of domination between

opposing genders in the workplace. This does not go to say that other genders cannot be the
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victims of sexually violent crimes. About three percent of American males have been the victim

of attempted and completed rape while 21% of transgender, genderqueer, or non-conforming

peoples have been victims (RAINN3). All races have been affected when it comes to sexual

assault, however, Native Americans are twice as likely to experience this crime. The spectrum of

sexual assault and sexual harassment is very broad. The occupations that hold the highest rates

for sexual violence in the workplace are service industries and military occupations.There may

be unclear lines when it comes to identifying a situation in the workplace. Human Resource

workers are trained to bring awareness to companies and their employees in order to address

inappropriate behavior in the workplace.

There have been several studies of how men and women interact in the workplace. When

observing the complexes of opposing genders it is clear to see who plays the more dominating

role, men. Women have been pursuing more dominant leadership role within recent years but

nothing that succumbs to the centuries of what men have pursued. In a study exploring the

measures of variables that occur in the workplace that may be the cause of sexual assault and

harassment, “women have a narrower band of acceptable behaviors than men… they are

expected to walk a behavioral tightrope that fits with societal expectations.” (Gilbert, Raffo,

Sutarso1). This can be referred to as the “Walk The Line Orientation”. This orientation

exemplifies being cautious of interactions especially when it is female interacting with male.

This reflects the subliminal message of violence in the workplace, when an employee does not

feel they can be openly expressive with peers and leaders this may be due to fear of violence or

harassment. It is important that the workplace is full of socioeconomic and personal growth for

all who are associated with their respective company.


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The impact that sexual violence has is not the same for every individual. However, there

are certainly repercussions with how a victim acts and behaves especially if the same place they

are being victimized is the same place that they work. “Between 2005 and 2009, rape/sexual

assault accounted for 2.3% of all nonfatal violence in the workplace” (Harrell1). The result of

sexual assault in the workplace can dramatically affect one's life. Somewhere between 50 and 95

percent of assault cases will result in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, this disorder is complex

and can involve extreme anxiety, panic, recurring nightmares, and depression (National Violence

Research Center1). Nearly half of people who experience rape or assault will quit their jobs due

to the severity of their reactions (National Violence Research Center2). Sexual assault has

proven to leave a burden financially in institutions such as the government, economy, and

education. There was an estimated loss of 327 million dollars in the federal government due to

sexual violence, most of this loss is due to the decline of productivity from victims (National

Violence Research Center3). Lowering the probability of sexual assault in the workplace is

difficult but with affirmative action and proper resources it can be taken a step further.

Human resource personnel have a massive role to play when it comes to reporting sexual

violence in the workplace. There are many laws set forth that limit human resource personnel as

mandated reporters and obliged to maintain confidentiality. When working for a corporation as a

human resource worker one must formulate and disseminate a policy against sexual harassment.

In the article, “Role of Human Resources in Effective Implementation of Laws Against Sexual

Harassment”, the author states the “organization’s stand could be explicitly stated that there is no

tolerance for sexual harassment and what sexual harassment means...makes it possible for the

employees to have their questions answered without having to experience embarrassment.”

(Midha1). This exemplifies the importance of having a clear definition of harassment in the
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workplace, if there is uncertainty among company employees it is highly encouraged that they

ask Human Resource personnel the company standards on this topic.

The next action of Human Resource workers on addressing the topic of sexual violence in

the workplace is forming an internal committee on the issue. An internal committee must consist

of at least four member, in which half have to be women. Within the internal committee there are

two employees and an external member who has experience working with sexual assault and the

law. (Midha2). An internal committee serves as a group to represent employees who feel the

need to voice concerns that include but are not limited to sexual assault. This has proven to lower

the rates of sexual assault in the workplace although some corporations have found this strategy

ineffective due to a bias that may be held by committee members. The next tactic a Human

Resource worker will apply to engaging employees in sexual assault awareness is bringing

information in about the law. Corporations will infiltrate their employees with knowledge about

the law concerning sexual violence by “using web-based training, circulating the policy, having

in-house legal conduct the session…” (Midha3). Finally, maintaining confidentiality is an

important part when it comes to Human Resources and sexual assault in the workplace. Many

people do not report their sexual assault when they are victimized because they fear their name

will be exposed and they will face judgement within the institution they were violated in.

Maintaining confidentiality in a small workplace is often more difficult than a larger corporation,

there are several actions that can be taken in order to make sure that confidentiality is not broken.

When there is a sexual harassment in the workplace being reported to Human Resources

there is a series of action that must take place before, during, and after the report. A Human

Resource worker must make themselves available to employees, record notes of information

shared, file the report to appropriate officials, and encourage the victim to seek further guidance
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of their situation. A crucial portion of dealing with sexual assault is believing the victim, there is

often a lack of “proof” that can be provided by victims in regards to their experience. Proving the

legitimacy of rape and sexual violence has been a consistent dilemma in society and have

resulted in lowering the rates of reporting rape and assault. Recently, in Ireland a 16 year old girl

came forward and reported her rape. The perpetrator was found not guilty due to the lack of

evidence that the girl provided and got away based on the articles of clothing she was wearing

the night of the assault (BBC1).

It is common that there are blurred lines as to what rape or sexual assault entails. This

highlights the importance of being informed on behavioral expectations in institutions that

influence people greatly including the workplace. According to the text, Women’s Voices

Feminist Visions, there are several falsified theories behind the confusion when determining a

sexual assault. “Rape happens less frequently… than women believe... focusing on women’s

victimization and women make up rape charges as a way to get attention.” (Shaw, Lee1). The

authors denote this as a toxic and dismissive way to view the topic of reporting sexual assault.

The text highlights the fact that rape and assault does occur often and that underreporting is an

issue because of individuals who hold this belief. The text also states a misleading belief when it

comes to sexual assault, “Women are at least partly responsible for their victimization in terms of

their appearance and behavior…” (Lee, Shaw2). This belief condones assailants by shifting

blame onto the victim. Sexual violence is alarmingly overlooked because of the belief that there

is a lack of evidence and the victim is perceived to rarely be credible. Lastly, the text states,

“Men are not totally responsible for their actions. If a woman comes on to a man sexually, it is

impossible for him to stop.” (Lee, Shaw3). The text refutes this statement by questioning the

assumption of the behavior of men and their biological needs. It is not necessarily possible that
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the whole male race is driven by sexual urges, therefore they do not need to act on impulsive and

reckless behavior. These highlight the entitlement that is driven behind sexual assault and

condones male privilege and gender ranking. All genders should be able to act appropriately in

the workplace and there should be clear guidelines to how behavior standards should be taken

seriously.

In conclusion, sexual assault is a major issue that takes place in many fields of work.

People strive their whole lives to reach a point of socioeconomic and personal growth that they

achieve through their occupation. The damage that sexual assault does to victims, companies,

and other institutions is irreparable. Taking the initiative of reporting sexual assault in not only

the workplace but all institutions will lower the statistics of violations and improve the

betterment of society. Not only will reporting assaults foster a better environment for future

victims where they feel their concerns are being heard, but it will also be able to inform others on

the alarming rate assaults occur at.

Works Cited

RAINN. “Scope of the Problem: Statistics.” RAINN | The Nation's Largest Anti-Sexual

Violence Organization, www.rainn.org/statistics/scope-problem.


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Gilbert, Jacqueline A., et al. “GENDER, CONFLICT, AND WORKPLACE

BULLYING: IS CIVILITY POLICY THE SILVER BULLET?” Journal of Managerial Issues,

vol. 25, no. 1, 2013, pp. 79–98. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43488159.

Harrell, E. (2011). Workplace violence, 1993-2009: National Crime Victimization

Survey and the census of fatal occupational injuries (NCJ 233231). Retrieved from the U.S.

Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics:

http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/wv09.pdf

National Sexual Violence Resource Center. “Sexual Violence and the Workplace.”

Nsrvc.org, nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/publications_nsvrc_overview_sexual-violence-

workplace.pdf.

Midha, Samriti Makkar. “Role of Human Resources in Effective Implementation of Laws

against Sexual Harassment.” Sightsin Plus. 2018. https://sightsinplus.com/2018/08/02/role-of-

human-resources-in-effective-implementation-of-laws-against-sexual-harassment/

Shaw, Susan and Janet Lee. Women’s Voices Feminist Visions: Classic and

Contemporary Readings. McGraw-Hill Education. 2015.


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