Women first entered the workforce in the 1960s, yet to this day, sexual assault towards women happens every 96 seconds in our world. Today we sat down with Thrisha Senthilnathan, the founder of We Rise Above, an organization based in Southern California that is most notable for their programs educating the public about sexual violence/prevention through workshops, self-defense classes, and awareness meets. She is here representing WRA to give her input and advice on harassment and assault towards female workers in the workplace.
Harassment is unsettlingly common. Recent studies have shown that one in three women have experienced at least some sort of sexual harassment over the course of their lives. Through WRA, Thrisha herself has worked with over 100 survivors and has heard countless stories of harassment in the workplace. Although each survivors’ story is different, there seems to be a common pattern when it comes to red flags leading up to harassment. Some non-verbal signs during the early stages of harassment include uncomfortable staring or closeness. This often turns to more explicit forms of harassment, such as sexual threats like “I will take your job away if you don’t do this” and asking for sexual favors directly.
When confronted with incidents in the workforce, WRA advises victims to document harassment by writing down things like ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘why’ and what happened. If it’s a repeated offense, WRA advises victims to “let the person know that you are uncomfortable and they crossed your boundaries.” However, if the harassment doesn’t stop after that, take it to your supervisor, and if they don’t handle the situation well, you can bring up the issue with law enforcement.
After enduring sexual assault in the workplace, women often struggle to report harassment because there is such a stigma surrounding the topic. Most victims are hooked with guilt and shame, often being too intimidated to write up assault claims in fear of being disregarded and victim-blamed. For the women who are struggling to come forward with a sexual misconduct claim, a piece of advice from WRA is that “lots of survivors think that they are alone in this and that they will never see someone else go through the same situation... they should know there are people who want to listen to them and will help them to get out of their situation.” By coming forward and filing a claim, it embarks as the first step to recovery from the horrific ordeal.
Healing from the trauma caused by sexual harassment at workplaces is a rough and overwhelming process for victims to go through alone. For the victims to return to the workplace after the harassment, it brings back graphic memories and emotional scars, thus complicating the recovery process. Through interacting with survivors first hand, WRA urges victims to join a support system. “There are tons of different organizations that have different support groups where survivors can go to talk to other survivors and volunteer.” WRA is also currently running a new segment where survivors come forward with their experience, along with a podcast featuring survivors. These efforts allow victims to access valuable advice, as well as meet survivors that know the recovery process well and who can support them as they begin to heal.
Organizations like WRA help fight the stigma attached to sexual assault and harassment in their communities while educating younger people on information and resources. At the end of the day, everyone copes with sexual harassment in their own way. Each survivor has their own story and they should always know there is a greater community behind them.
More About We Rise Above:
Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/weriseabove/
WRA Public Survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUJC0ajCIza0KDxFGmQiDOEu9gk8CQ-qmd0l z7SnzseJYXiw/viewform?usp=send_form
Volunteer At WRA: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUhs0RiKbi7m8CPgJZmA8k2dlh9H-qIHbX4gx FE11z36B_mg/viewform?usp=send_form
By: Quinefer Lung
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