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Sexual Harassment On College Campuses

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Sexual Harassment is a problem that occurs frequently on many college campuses. The fact that it occurs often is terrible, but what makes it even worse is that these incidents tend to go unreported. Many individuals are unlikely to report what has happened to them because of humiliation, the many different misconceptions about sexual harassment, and the fear of their attacker. After being harassed many people do not want others to know what has happened to them. Some victims feel as though others may criticize or pass judgment on them because of the circumstances regarding the incident. Some feel as though they may not be believed and many do not find it easy to disclose information regarding personal experiences of this type of offense. …show more content…

Many people are not clear on what constitutes as sexual harassment and what does not. Some may not even realize that they have been sexually harassed and others may feel as though what has been done to them is not of great importance or even worth being acknowledged (Braine, Bless, Fox, 1995). Researchers have found that one of the main causes of fewer reports is the sense of insignificance that victims have (Braine, Bless, Fox, 1995). Many write off such comments and actions as playful jokes but later realize the sobriety of them when the harasser becomes comfortable with what they are doing. A study that was conducted found that about twenty eight percent of college students reported experiencing unwanted sexual attention, but only about nine percent considered this attention sexual harassment (Paludi, Nydegger. R, Desoza , Nydegger. L, Dicker, K.A, 2006). Sexual Harassment is classified as sexist remarks/behaviors, unwanted sexual advances, sexual bribery, and anything of sexual behavior that is found to be uncomfortable by the recipient (Braine, Bless, Fox, 1995). It also is not limited to just verbal and physical abuse; sexual harassment can include unwanted emails and visuals (Paludi, Nydegger. R, Desoza , Nydegger. L,Dicker, K.A, 2006). It can occur between peers, people of the same sex, and people of the opposite sex (Paludi, Nydegger. R, Desoza , Nydegger. L, Dicker, K.A,

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