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Caitlin Fitzpatrick
Prof. Plummer
English 211
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
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
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
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
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
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
(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
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
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
It is common that there are blurred lines as to what rape or sexual assault entails. This
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
Works Cited
RAINN. “Scope of the Problem: Statistics.” RAINN | The Nation's Largest Anti-Sexual
Survey and the census of fatal occupational injuries (NCJ 233231). Retrieved from the U.S.
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.
human-resources-in-effective-implementation-of-laws-against-sexual-harassment/
Shaw, Susan and Janet Lee. Women’s Voices Feminist Visions: Classic and