Sexual Harassment Is Increasing in Both Schools and the Workplace
A report was released today by the TUC in association with the Everyday Sexism Project that has revealed shocking statistics and information surrounding sexual harassment in the workplace.
The research has shown that 52% of the women in the poll have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace, a shocking 1 in 5 women have experienced uninvited sexual advances, and nearly 1 in 5 stated that their harasser was their line manager.
Furthermore, the report revealed that many cases of sexual harassment go unreported and that younger women, in particular, are increasingly likely to be sexually harassed at work.
This news comes in line with a recent revelation from Plan International, who have discovered that sex crimes in schools reported to the police has trebled in the last four years. The number of cases rose form 719 reported in 2011–2012 to 1,955 reported in 2014–2015, and children as young as five years old were allegedly guilty of some assaults.
Additionally, 29% of those reported were fellow pupils, and 15% were teachers or other working staff in the school. Like with the TUC report, Plan International estimate that many sexual offences are still going unreported by pupils, meaning the figure of sexual crimes could be a lot higher than the official police figure.
This rising of sexual harassment in schools could be due to a number of factors; maybe there were simply more incidents going unreported before, or perhaps it’s the fact that the internet and its darker contents like pornography and violent games are increasingly accessible to younger children.
Looking at evidence from these two reports, it is clear that this issue is spreading to all reaches of society, and perhaps a greater tackling of sexual harassment in schools could help decrease the likeliness of sexual assault in the workplace.
It is clear that more needs to be done to combat these rising issues, and a thorough sex education that encompasses aspects like consent and respect as well as the usual sexual health chat would be a perfect way to start.
It’s the 21st century, and we need a mandatory and comprehensive sex education in our schools. Maybe then we will see a drop in sexual harassment in the workplace as well.
