The Silence Breakers – Does Government Work?

In recent months, millions of survivors have spoken out on social media to share their experiences of sexual harassment and violence using the hashtag, “#MeToo”. The movement sparked an unprecedented dialogue across our nation. Some of the allegations reported involved powerful men who have lost their jobs because of the claims; including Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, and Harold Ford Jr. However, there are dozens of other famous men that have faced allegations of misconduct toward women but have escaped unscathed. Some of these men include those such as R. Kelly, Mel Gibson, Woody Allen, and even our own president, Donald Trump. Obviously, sexual harassment is not limited to those in the limelight. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission received almost 7,000 reports of sexual harassment – and they estimate that nearly 75 percent of the total individuals that are sexually harassed do not report it.

Sex discrimination in the workplace has been prohibited since the Civil Rights Act was enacted in 1964 – Title VII barred employment discrimination “because of sex”. However, sexual harassment continues to be prevalent, including within the system that created Title VII. Former President Bill Clinton was blamed of multiple allegations of sexual harassment. Even our own president, Donald Trump, has been accused of sexual harassment by upwards of 20 women. And with that, there seems to be a disconnect. Although women’s rights have made huge advancements in the past century, there is clearly still room for improvement. It is extremely disheartening to hear the allegations being made targeting some of our most powerful world leaders, men that held/hold the highest office in our nation. Ironically, these men also have the ability to set the tone concerning certain social issues in our nation. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter here is, not all the survivors, male or female, have received the equality that they deserve.

Not only are we not able to look to some of our past and present American leaders as role models, but even Congress has been accused of making their own rules about the handling of sexual harassment complaints concerning its members and staff. A recent report by the House of Oversight and Government Reform Committee discovered that federal agencies are currently running without an explicit definition of sexual misconduct, and when sexual misconduct occurs, the sanctions are inconsistent. If our own government is not taking sexual harassment seriously, this problem in our country will not change. If nothing changes, those the victims will never receive the respect or consideration that they deserve, and equality will never be attained.

With that being said, it is obvious that this seems like a good time for the government itself to step in and set a standard for what should change the way citizens think about gender equality and the way that sexual harassment is handled in our communities. One possibility would be for the government to expand Title VII protections because, at this point in time, the Civil Rights Act statute only concerns individuals being harassed at work. Unfortunately, Title VII does not protect independent contractors. Elizabeth Owens Bille, general counsel of the Society for Human Resource Management, articulated the need for “strong, comprehensive anti-harassment and anti-retaliation policies and training” in the workplace. Besides enforcing stricter rules that have these qualities, I also believe it is important that this dialogue is continued and that our government offers appropriate support. Even by showing their support, government officials have the ability to set a precedent which can guide victims of sexual harassment to receiving the level of equality that they deserve.

http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2017-silence-breakers/

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/03/sexual-harassment-executive-branch-payments-319151

https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/sexual_harassment.cfm

https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/publications/qa_domestic_violence.cfm

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-metoo-movement-will-be-in-vain-if-we-dont-make-these-changes/2018/01/25/5add95a8-0090-11e8-8acf-ad2991367d9d_story.html?utm_term=.3f9fde25596d

Chloe Blond says:

April 22, 2018 at 10:33 pm

Hi Jojo,

Thank you for your post. You are right, while women’s rights have made huge advancements in the past century, there is still a lot of room for improvement. If our own government is not taking sexual harassment seriously, this problem in our country will not change. If nothing changes, then the victims will never receive the respect of consideration that they deserve, and equality will never be attained. So, if the government is not taking the proper steps to making changes, then we should. How should we do this? I found an article online that suggested we start with the International Day of Women.

The International Day of Women should be used to raise awareness and find solutions to the many problems which are still affecting women, including sexual harassment. This day should also be used as an opportunity to encourage more women to give back to their communities by volunteering in whatever way they can. As we use this day to celebrate all that women have accomplished in the struggle for gender equality in the past, let it also serve as a reminder that the fight is not yet over.

I think one more thing that is important to highlight is that while we have been discussing sexual harassment in the context of the United States, the issue of women’s rights is a global issue. Sexual and Gender-Based Violence is increasing in a variety of forms in Liberia, for example. The status of women’s rights around the world is an important indicator of global well being and if we want our well being to increase, then sexual harassment must be tackled around the world.

https://www.unv.org/our-stories/fight-not-over-struggle-gender-equality

Sara Milano says:

April 24, 2018 at 3:52 pm

The “Me Too” movement has been hugely instrumental in breaking the silence on sexual harassment and bringing to light a gender equality and workplace issue that has been the norm for far too long. Something interesting to note has been the influence of celebrities in generating support and attention for the cause. The movement really began in 2006 on MySpace when activist Tarana Burke founded it to “spread awareness and understanding about sexual assault in underprivileged communities of colour.” I doubt Burke anticipated that her movement would be popularized through hashtags when actress Alyssa Milano first posted about it last fall. Most people had never heard of the MeToo movement before 2017, and something like this probably gains traction easier when it is perpetrated by celebrities. While I don’t devalue the path the movement has taken, the celebrities posting about their experiences were often neither underprivileged nor from communities of color. It is true many of their stories involved coercive power dynamics early in their careers when they were beholden to a powerful boss or producer, but it is important to remember that this movement belongs to everyone, not just celebrities. Pop culture has enormous influence on our lives, and if this movement is able to achieve justice or greater protection against sexual harassment and assault that will be amazing. However there is something to be said about the way information is disseminated and opinions are valued in this country that the original activist’s story is so often forgotten.