Sexual Harrassment

Sexual Harassment
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Currently, there is a not a formal definition that is agreed upon to refer to the actual meaning of the words Sexual Harassment. However, it is a phrase that has caused ripples across the globe. There have been national and international efforts by various dockets of influence to try and eliminate sexual harassment. Most of the international organs define sexual harassment as any form of violence that is directed towards the women and one that is used to bring about discrimination (Boren, 2014). The national organs, on the other hand, mostly dwell on the illegality of the behavior of the person said to be perpetrating the harassment. Regardless of which organizations that are referred to for the definition of the phrase, the meeting point of all the organizations, agencies and their take on the matter is that the behavior leads to the suffering of the victims.
The United Nations under the General Recommendation 19, with reference to a convention relating to eliminating discrimination against women, gave a brief description of its take on the matter. According to Gaiman, the description of sexual harassment relates to any unwelcome physical contact, remarks, advances and demands. This could harm the health as well as the safety of the victims, as such; it creates a hostile working environment for the staff. The International Labor Organization, under Convention No. C111 has also underlined the fact that sexual harassment does not just harm the victim’s health and safety, but also happens to be a form of violence against the women, primarily. At the regional level the Council of Europe, European Union and the European Commission for the EU also recognize sexual harassment (Gaiman, 2014). The European commission to the EU states that the behavior can be split into three major categories namely; verbal, non-verbal and physical sexual harassment. The United States of America also addresses the subject of sexual harassment through the Civil Rights Act of 1964 under the mandate of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
The Interpretation
Ideally, there is a wide range of behaviors that can be expressed in a manner that is sexual within the society. It is important to note that some of the innocent behaviors can be taken to mean that they are sexually oriented and a violation, but on the contrary are innocent. Some of these actions are asking one out on a date, winking at a colleague, flirting, innuendos and joking. Due to the fact that some of these signs are highly misinterpreted, they can be deemed to mean that someone is bent on harassing their colleagues. On the other hand, some of the actions such as fondling by force, rape or an attempt to do the same and the innocent acts that are repeated with a certain frequency that is demeaning may be taken as harassment (University of Minnesota, n.d.). This means that, if the behaviors are repeated quite often and the perpetrator has full intent of making it known, this will amount to sexual harassment. There are cases where the perpetrator commits the act on the first time and the intent is clear that they were making unwelcome and violent sexual advances. In this case, the aspect of repetition does not count as the intent is clear from a single incident (Boren, 2014). As such, one of the most crucial determinants of the actions being sexually inappropriate depends largely on whether it was unwelcome.
Most of the time harassment takes place due to the fact that the victims are not in a position to fight for their rights. As such, the persons harassing them understand the vulnerability of their victims and exploit this chance to perpetrate their violent acts (Advocate for Human Rights, 2014). This means that is not always that the workers will come out in the open telling of their violation as some of them chose to act in the manner suggesting that they acquiesce. This is not to say that they are in agreeme...