Sexual harassment, assault has no place in Army

FORT POLK, LA, UNITED STATES

09.28.2018

Story by Chuck Cannon 

Fort Johnson Public Affairs Office

FORT POLK, La. — Sexual harassment and assault — involving both men and women — have no place at Fort Polk, whether you are a Soldier, Department of the Army civilian, civilian contractor, retiree or Family member.
I have worked here since 2007 and that’s always been the message. Sexual harassment is counterproductive, whether we’re talking about an office atmosphere or field duty.
If someone is being sexually harassed or assaulted, it will show in his or her work, no matter how tough he she might think she is. These a just a few of the consequences of sexual harassment and assault:
• In other situations, the unwelcome sexual conduct of co-workers makes the working conditions hostile and unpleasant — putting indirect pressure on the person harassed to leave the job.
• An employee can be so traumatized by the harassment that he or she suffers serious emotional and physical consequences and often becomes unable to perform his or her job properly.
According to data compiled by Equal Rights Advocates, a women’s law center dedicated to protecting and expanding economic and educational access and opportunities for women and girls, most sexually harassed women suffer from some debilitating stress reaction including anxiety, depression, headaches, sleep disorders, weight loss or gain, nausea, lowered self-esteem and sexual dysfunction. In addition, victims of sexual harassment lose $4.4 million dollars in wages and 973,000 hours in unpaid leave each year in the United States.
The consequences to working women as a group are no less serious. Sexual harassment has a cumulative, demoralizing effect that discourages women from asserting themselves within the workplace, while among men it reinforces stereotypes of women employees as sex objects. Severe or pervasive sexual harassment in certain types of businesses creates a hostile or intimidating environment that causes women to leave their jobs and look elsewhere for work or discourages them from seeking those jobs in the first place.
The effect on the morale of all employees can also be serious. Both men and women in a workplace can find their work disrupted by sexual harassment even if they are not directly involved. Sexual harassment can have a demoralizing effect on everyone within range of it, and it often negatively impacts company productivity on the whole.
Sexual harassment and assault are counterproductive to Army morale and mission accomplishment. If you see sexual harassment or assault in your work area or unit, it’s important to do what you can to stop the harassment or assault. That could include the following:
• Create a distraction. Do what you can to interrupt the harassment, or distract those taking part in the harassment. But remember to make sure that you aren’t putting yourself in danger by doing this. If someone seems like they could become violent, do not draw their attention.
• Ask directly. Talk directly with the person who is being harassed. If they are being harassed at work or school, offer to accompany them anytime they have to meet with the harasser. If a friend is worried about walking alone to their car at night, offer to walk with them.
• Refer to an authority. The safest way to intervene for both you and the person being harassed may be to bring in an authority figure. You can talk to another employee, security guard, RA in your dorm, bartender, or bouncer, and they will often be willing to step in.
• Enlist others. It can be hard to step in alone, especially if you are worried about your own safety or if you don’t think you will be able to help on your own. It may be a good idea to enlist the help of a friend or another bystander.
On page 13 of today’s Guardian you can read about Fort Polk’s Garrison SHARP Program and the support group they host for victims of sexual harassment and assault. Let’s work together and do what we can to one day make the program unnecessary on Fort Polk. Let’s stop sexual harassment and assault now.

• Date Taken: 09.28.2018
• Date Posted: 09.28.2018 09:18
• Story ID: 294784
• Location: FORT POLK, LA, US