Sexual Harassment Complaints

A study by the Centre for Work and Life at the University of South Australia has shown that only 10 per cent of perpetrators of sexual harassment resigned or were dismissed from their place of employment compared to 60 per cent of complainants who ended up resigning or who were dismissed as a consequence of victimisation after making a complaint.

One of the authors of the study, Paula McDonald from Queensland University of Technology said, 'The consequences fall largely on the person who makes the complaint'. The effects of this are that the 'negative consequences stop a lot of formal complaints being made'. 

Although as a man I have not been the victim of sexual harassment I can relate to the reasons why women would not raise a complaint. In my experience a person whether female or male who raises any type of complaint is often further discriminated by the process of addressing the complaint. Within the church denomination of which I am a member I have heard of cases where the person or persons making the complaint are asked to leave their positions while the person whom the complaint is made remains in their position. These particular complaints have been about relationships of power. In other cases both the complainant and the person complained about are asked to leave. There seems to be little hope for natural justice or fair play being observed. The person making the complaint has to take into account that by making a complaint they are more than likely going to lose their job or be asked to move so they are silenced or bullied into remaining silent while the person doing the harassing continues in their position and harassing others. It seems very unfair and unjust. Often the person being complained about holds power in such a way that intimidates committees set up to deal with complaints. 

As men I think we need more education and understanding about the effects of sexual harassment on women. We need to take responsibility for our actions and for our education in areas of sexuality and power and be aware of the rights of others to come to work without fear of harassment by us. We need to develop a sense of self-awareness. Our words, our body language, our size, our position and our actions can be intimidating without our awareness of the effects of these and we need to be aware that it is these very things that perpetrators use to intimidate and harass. Where we men see other men behaving in such ways we have to collectively summon up the courage to stand up to it.

The full article on Sexual Harassment Complaints can be found at this link:

Sexual Harassment Complaints