Many women are confronted with sexual harassment yet do not complain. Most who do not complain fear retalation. I would like to say that people who report sexual harassment are legally protected against retaliation, which they are, and that, therefore, they are not subjected to retaliation. Unfortunately, it is human nature that when one person complains about another, the other gets mad and attempts to get even. That should not stop someone who is being harassed from coming forward. Sexual harassment is serious and those who harass generally do not stop on their own. In fact, sexual harassers often escalate f not stopped.
I have beeen practicing employment law for any years and have seen many improvements in the way women are treated in the work place. While sexual harassment is still ongoing, I see fewer cases of bosses fondling their female subordinates, fewer cases of sexual propositioning, and fewer cases of sexual talk in the workplace. I attribute this decrease to employers’ enforcement of their policies.
That is not to say that it is easy to complain. It takes considerable courage to complain of sexual harassment in the workplace. But it is worthwhile to complain, not just for one’s own self-esteem, but also to protect others. It’s a sad situation when someone like Harvey Weinstein or Bill Cosby has had the opportunity to sexually assaulted dozens of women. We have put up with this conduct far too long.
