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Sexual harassment: How to protect yourself?

Sexual harassment

Sexual harassment; how to protect yourself? The problem of sexual harassment among men and women in modern society. How to distinguish between flirting and signs of violence, as well as everything about their presence during work hours. Tips on proper behavior to prevent such situations. Sexual harassment is any demand towards a person expressed through verbal or physical behavior to satisfy one’s lust. Offers of this nature are often related to practices, material rewards, or other forms of extortion. The victims of this problem are usually young girls and women with attractive appearances. The principal place to execute such behavior is office business and private business.

The leading causes of sexual harassment

Many victims of sexual harassment often wonder what exactly caused this special treatment. Based on the consideration of many cases, it became clear that there is no single cause. There are too many of them, and for each situation, they are individual. They can also be combined and push each other to convince a person to such behavior quickly. But some things are more common than others.

Reasons for sexual harassment of men

A person is found guilty in almost all proven cases of sexual harassment at work. The representatives of the most vital link in our society are more often exposed to their temptations and rarely can resist them. Today several factors can explain their behavior:

  • Marital problems … It is often this kind of personal dissatisfaction that drives many bosses to take advantage of their privileges during work hours. Suppose at this moment there is an attractive employee in the environment. In that case, they do not miss such an opportunity for themselves. From this moment begins their exchange or revenge on his wife using an innocent girl.
  • Work difficulties … It is known that a person is a hunter in life and always tries to take everything from it to the maximum. But if he encounters problems in this area at some point, his soul will suffer a significant blow. Upheaval causes dissatisfaction, which, in turn, requires compensation from the next person. Men choose this method because it increases their self-esteem and shows their superiority and greatness towards their employees.
  • Mental trauma … Such a problem makes a person inadequate in performing his actions. Sometimes the result can be a worsening of libido. Such people become more fundamental in their desires and cannot control them even in the workplace. Accordingly, this may be the reason for their sexual harassment of employees or subordinates.
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment

Causes of sexual harassment of women

Even though girls in such situations are often victims, their role in developing such cases is also significant. All women strive to look perfect in all situations in life, even at work. At the same time, many of them do not even suspect that they can produce elements of violence against themselves.

There are several practical possibilities that a woman can apply pathological attention to herself. These include:

  • Exotic clothes … Probably, no person would not understand a man’s reaction to the dissatisfaction with girls’ clothes. Like a red rag to a bull, this sign represents a call to action for them. It motivates you to do something, to pay attention. Of course, all this will be followed by a sexual attraction to such a person, which will make him try to bring her to life in every way.
  • High heels … This wardrobe is considered unacceptable for use during working hours. Many psychologists argue that it creates ambiguous reactions from others and looks rude. People associate this with an accessible path, which they take too literally. Therefore, they try to translate working relationships into close ones.
  • Challenging behavior … This is a somewhat incomprehensible sign for many because not everyone can understand the difference between friendliness and flirt. Women’s cunning tricks are often perceived by men a little differently than they would like. And soon, a recent cute flirt can become a victim of sexual harassment without even realizing that she provoked it herself.

Key signs of sexual harassment

The problem of sexual harassment is discussed quite loudly in modern society. And although it cannot be called entirely new or recently appeared, the appearance of those around it has become completely different. In today’s world, they have stopped being silent about the existence of such a problem. Today this occurs more and more often and is fought at every step. The only drawback was that few people knew how to manage the fine line between normal flirting and bullying.

To fix it, you need to be aware of what constitutes sexual harassment:

  • Unpleasant physical contact … The decoding of this term means any action by an employer or colleague that causes discomfort. It is unnecessary touching, stroking a leg or arm, inappropriate hugs, pinching, and kissing attempts. Any of the above is considered unacceptable unless the victim retaliates.
  • Sexual requests … Often involve a hint of a follow-up date, a persuasion to go out for a coffee or hang out after work. It does not matter whether these requests contain conditions in the form of promotion or, conversely, dismissal from employment. The fact of such offers is no longer relevant and constitutes bullying.
  • Verbal abuse … Very often, this is the nature of bullying that causes the most damage. After all, particular actions can immediately follow or linger to enjoy such mockery. Crude jokes about attractive appearance or equipment, an unfunny joke, or a loud discussion about an employee with other team members – there are many options for developing the situation. They are usually unique to each case. But the result is the same. Therefore, do not be afraid that such behavior is insufficient to assert.
  • Complex work environment … In order not to draw attention to oneself, psychological threats are also often used. A person deliberately finds fault with the employee’s work, asks to redo the job, or otherwise “pleases” the superiors. With their “special” interface, such people create an unbearable daily life for their victims, forcing them to suffer just thinking about meeting or going to work. All this not only interferes with the performance of official duties but also undermines a person’s health and general emotional state.
  • A particular attitude … Each person expresses their interest differently. Someone prefers a calm and almost imperceptible touch with a sign of attention. Others do not like individual methods of communication and make whole shows out of this, trying in every possible way to show their interest, putting their interest in an even more uncomfortable position. Nor do they miss the opportunity to remind her of their duty to thank her for her exceptional attitude towards herself.

The signs listed explicitly confirm that sexual harassment is present, but there are many more indirect signs. They can also indicate its presence. Therefore, one should not wait for specific actions to appear to draw conclusions and make a comment.

Types of sexual harassment

According to statistical studies, girls and young women are more likely to be affected. Men occupy a much smaller percentage in this niche.

It is also worth noting that representatives of the fair sex are primarily silent about such harassment. Each of them does this for some particular reason; it seems to her. Many people cannot distinguish them from too good an attitude; others call it insufficient manifestations. Few people know that today there is a whole classification of this type of violence.

There are several types of sexual harassment of women:

  • Non-verbal … Many girls often notice this glance in their direction. They also understand its meaning well but cannot introduce anything to the offender. After all, everything he does is impossible to capture with anything other than close-up photography with a film camera. It manifests with a wink, a distorted look, and a nod. Sometimes there are obscure signs in sign language, whistles, or other interesting sounds.
  • Verbal … This type is characterized by the fact that there is no other action than to express one’s thoughts out loud. Its manifestations are numerous compliments, indecent statements, jokes, and extreme phrases. Each of them necessarily contains a hidden or explicit meaning of a sexual nature. Eager eyes and eye contact can also accompany all this.
  • Physical … The most apparent and striking manifestation of bullying. You can also do it in different ways. The person may deliberately use touching, spanking, stroking the leg or other body parts, or setting up situations with close contact. More severe individuals may cause sexual intercourse or even resort to attempted rape.

In most cases, there is no single bully. More often, it is a combination of two or even three models at once with different use of technology.

How to protect yourself from sexual harassment

This problem is very acute now and then and damages many. The fight against it has recently taken a completely different turn. If such issues at work were hushed up and covered up, the media is increasingly reporting on them. Much has been gained from efforts to raise public awareness of the sexual harassment of girls. Many women have stopped being afraid and willingly expressed their opinions on this matter.

 However, there are several aspects of behavior that need to be changed:

  • Attention … Many of the fair sex lack this quality. When surrounded by unknown people, they often lose their vigilance. They are led to treacherous male tricks without even realizing it. This aspect needs to be changed. It would help if you learned to read between the lines and notice changes in appearance or attitude towards you. It is essential because it helps to prevent and prohibit any form of harassment.
  • Ambiguity in behavior … This aspect, like no other, requires the destruction of the habit. If a girl does not want to be a victim of sexual harassment, then she should not provoke him with her behavior. Better to forget about using smooth sentences with an interesting meaning. After all, although it is just a game for her, one can perceive such signs of attention in a completely different way. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid such behavior.
  • The extent of what is allowed … It is essential when meeting someone to establish the boundaries of communication immediately. It is to clarify the purpose of such a relationship and to account for what goes beyond it. Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to speak directly to the person about your intentions. The sooner this happens, the better because it will be much more challenging in the later stages of the development of relations. After all, one will not understand why your behavior has suddenly changed and where this new framework of what is permissible comes from.
  • A formidable character … In communication with representatives of the opposite sex, it was possible to find out that from the first meeting (or even only at a glance), they immediately understand the development of such relations. A modest demeanor and shyness attract less attention but indicate a gentle character. Such people do not tend to comment, stand their ground and defend themselves. Therefore, they often become hostages in such situations. To prevent this from happening, you need to learn how to protect your interests, make clear decisions in moments that cause discomfort and discomfort, react correctly to inappropriate behavior from the outside and prohibit such cases in the future.
  • Fear … Fear is the greatest enemy of all. His presence at one time or another can disrupt all kinds of plans and bring many people to the brink. It also happens to victims of bullying. They are afraid to the point that they are almost unable to deny the compulsion of a persistent thought. Girls fall very quickly under this influence. They tend to keep silent about what is happening and allow such behavior towards themselves for fear of losing their job, exposure, and many others. If one comes under such influence, first of all, you must understand that there is no place for fear in such a situation. It is necessary to collect your thoughts and fight quickly when trying to use violence.
  • Stealth … Many people who have been sexually harassed make the mistake of withholding what is happening. This type of influence causes many people to feel ashamed of their current situation. They cannot calmly come and tell someone about what they have experienced or continue to experience. This behavior only makes the situation worse. Because of him, this violence continues unabated. That’s why you need to learn how to deal with your feelings and try to tell someone about your experience. It will help you cope with stress and tell you what to do next, how to behave, and where to turn for help.

Conclusion

The topic of sexual harassment can go on almost indefinitely because it is based on human factors. The main goal of all people in society is to detect the presence of this problem in time to prevent terrible consequences. It is essential to consider the rules of conduct in society and observe decent behavior at work. It will help you protect yourself and not allow you to become a personal provocateur for violence against yourself.

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