Office politics, the proof that one has authority over the other, or the plain desire to have sexual relations with the victim are only a few of the reasons that push individuals to impose themselves on others in a malicious manner. Most of the time, the attack is sexual in nature and could change the attitude of the victim due to experiencing insult and degradation from actions and implicative verbal attacks of the perpetrator. Sexual harassment is a serious situation; and in the discussion that follows, some ten facts about it shall be presented to help possible victims understand their cases and be more mindful of how they could stop sexual harassment from being a regular part of their day.

1. Sexual harassment is a serious case that should not be set aside. When sexual harassment occurs, what the victim should know is that it is not okay and that it should not be welcomed for any cause. Sometimes perpetrators utilize their authority over the victim to keep them from speaking out; the victims ought to know that they need to speak and that there is help available.

2. Sexual harassment does not only happen to women, nor does the victim need to come from the opposite sex. Some say that sexual harassment cannot happen to men. The truth is, it can happen to anyone at some point, even at any age. The latest reported case even involves a little boy, aged nine, who was allegedly sexually harassed by his male teacher. Given this fact, everyone is expected to be aware and to be careful about everything happening around her or him.

3. Forty-seven percent of sexual harassment happens in the offices [work areas], while 20% happens in schools; some other 15% happens in homes and in other trusted areas of the victims. As mentioned earlier, perpetrators of sexual harassment usually come from a higher level of authority than the victims. The chilling factor in this fact is that even in the house, where people ought to feel safe, sexual harassment does occur even between family members who are supposed to be protecting each other instead of oppressing in any particular manner.

4. Sexual harassment need not be physical in nature. The perpetrator need not touch the victim to be able to say that the situation already involves points of sexual harassment. The truth is, verbal attacks are strong enough to pin down a perpetrator in relation to his acts and reactions towards the target victim.

5. For the case to be established, the harasser’s attitude should not be welcomed at any time. Flirting is one way by which a harasser gets away with sexual harassment when a victim flirts back with the attacker as if welcoming the malicious approaches. Hence, it is important to know that if a case is to be filed, the attitude of the harasser ought to have been unwelcomed at all times.

6. Sexual harassment is traumatic. When a person is harassed, the situation will make a mark on the individual, and the stakes are high if the situation is set aside. No person should be under such stress from a perpetrator at any cost.

7. Seventy-six percent of the cases of sexual harassment are accomplished by individuals known to the victim. The knowledge of who the perpetrator is and the fact that the victim has spent quite some time with the attacker already makes the trauma even harder to contend with.

8. Sixty percent of sexual harassment cases lead to rape. Untreated or unreported cases of sexual harassment often make the perpetrators gain self-confidence that makes it easier for them to embrace the point of oppressing their victims even to the point of raping them. Therefore, it is important that the case be reported even before the desire on the part of the perpetrator escalates into something more damaging to the victim.

9. Rape cases occurring because of the emergent existence of sexual harassment accounts for 25 percent of the overall unwanted pregnancies in the United States alone. Unwanted pregnancies coming from realized sexual desires that started off as sexual harassment are often more painful to take into account and create even bigger problems, especially for the victim and her family.

10. Trauma from sexual harassment can be treated; victims could and should be helped accordingly. Trauma coming from sexual harassment ought to be controlled and managed through therapy; victims ought to know that there is available help and that they can easily grab hold of it if they want.

The case of sexual harassment, being as serious as it is, needs to be fully defined, making the victim well aware of the situation. The victims ought to be given the chance to embrace the ability to stand against their perpetrators and become more effective, especially when it comes to learning how to keep themselves from falling into the pit of dangers that makes them vulnerable to such malicious attacks.